[Windows 8 - Deeper Impressions]

The Strange and Unusual ...

'Flappy Bird' creator confirms he will release the game again, 'but not soon' ( NeoWin 2014-03-19 )

'Flappy Bird' to rise from the ashes, return to the App Store confirmed ( TechSpot 2014-03-19 )

Dong Nguyen, creator of the wildly addictive mobile game Flappy Bird, confirmed on Wednesday that he would be bringing the game back to the App Store.

[...]

Its unclear at this hour why Nguyen had a change of heart but naturally, many people are still skeptical about the whole thing. Was he really confused, frightened or upset about the whole situation or was his decision to pull the game and eventually bring it back a calculated marketing ploy to build even more hype around the game?

This whole thing has smelled fishy all along. I now vote for marketing scheme.

Man discovers wanted status after Googling himself and surrenders ( NeoWin 2014-03-16 )

A Californian man who Googled his name was in the shock of his life after discovering he was in fact one of the state's most wanted men.

Comment of the day Award goes to: "If he was using bing he'd still be on the loose!"

Microsoft: Pirated software with malware will cost businesses $500 billion in 2014 ( NeoWin 2014-03-19 )

Microsoft has been putting more of an emphasis on security lately with the recent opening of its Cybercrime Center complex. Today, the company released the results of a new study that claims both businesses and individuals will spend a lot of money in 2014 dealing with problems that will be introduced by malware found in pirated software products

Just.Too.Stupid.For.Words. You know, by rights this single headline should be enough to wake up any person with an iota of intelligence to the fact that Microsoft and whoever else is connected to this report is a corrupt collection of liars. They should be broken up just on principle. Moreover it tells us that in general there is no self-restraint anymore, no pretense of honesty and truth. It means that even mathematics and statistics have no meaning and even common sense has been discounted.

It wasn't that long ago that no-one would voluntarily embarrass themselves by posting or publishing everything that crossed their desk, or their minds. Truthfully the world has turned a corner now. We have crossed the Rubicon to irresponsibility and decadence and without individual self-governing restraint there is no way back. If companies and people are willing to say or do anything simply to suit their own selfish purposes, even at the cost of tarnishing their own seriousness and insulting everyone with a functional brain, humanity is doomed. Move over ancient Greece and Rome, be seeing you soon.

[Windows 8 - Deeper Impressions]

As mentioned first by Jorge ...

Mozilla puts Firefox for Windows 8 on hold indefinitely ( NeoWin 2014-03-14 )

Mozilla Scrubs Firefox for Windows 8 Touch ( Maximum PC 2014-03-15 )

Mozilla kills Metro version of Firefox, says shipping the browser "would be a mistake" ( TechSpot 2014-03-17 )

Mozilla Scraps Firefox Metro Over Flat Adoption Rate ( Tom's Hardware 2014-03-17 )

Mozilla was forced to take this drastic step after the Firefox for Windows 8 Touch Beta, released last month, failed to gain any semblance of momentum. According to Nightingale, the response to the beta was so poor that it never witnessed more than 1000 active daily users. This is in stark contrast to pre-release builds meant for the desktop proper, which tend to attract millions of testers on a daily basis.

This leaves us with a hard choice. We could ship it, but it means doing so without much real-world testing. Thats going to mean lots of bugs discovered in the field, requiring a lot of follow up engineering, design, and QA effort, Nightingale wrote in a blog post. To ship it without doing that follow up work is not an option. If we release a product, we maintain it through end of life. When I talk about the need to pick our battles, this feels like a bad one to pick: significant investment and low impact.

Instead, we pull it.

Just four days before it was due to ship, Mozilla has scrapped the Metro version of Firefox citing low adoption of the Windows 8 Metro interface -- which Microsoft now calls Modern UI. Johnathan Nightingale, Mozilla's Vice President of Firefox, announced the news in a blog post.

In the months since, as the team built and tested and refined the product, weve been watching Metros adoption, Nightingale said, adding that the adoption rate has been "pretty flat". While on any given day, millions of people test pre-release versions of Firefox desktop, less than 1,000 used the Metro version, he said.

In the end, Mozilla feels that to ship a largely untested (and therefore buggy) product requiring a ton of follow up work would be to invest in a platform that users show little sign of adopting. And that's a cost it isn't willing to bear.

We've contacted Microsoft for comment on this and will update if we hear back.

[update] A Microsoft spokesperson we talked to said the company is choosing not to comment on this one.

Hehehe! The NeoKids are foaming at the mouth, especially Dot MetroTard who cannot process all the information he/she is receiving lately, all of which indicates a curse to anyone that touches Microsoft Tiles. Naturally NeoWin begins a quest to locate some kind of offsetting news to quiet down their poor sheeple ...

Former Firefox for Windows 8 developer: Low test numbers doesn't mean OS is in trouble ( NeoWin 2014-03-18 )

In a new blog post today, former Mozilla team member Brian R. Bondy, who worked on the Firefox for Windows 8 team, wrote that just because the browser had a low amount of beta testers doesn't mean that Windows 8 and the Modern UI have low general usage.

[...]

Following Friday's blog post by Nightingale, Neowin attempted to contact Mozilla to see if we could get more information about their decision to cancel development of Firefox for Windows 8. Unfortunately, a spokesperson for the company declined to answer most of our questions, stating only, "We have no plans to start development again at this time. We always watch the desktop and mobile markets to find opportunities to advance Mozilla's mission."

Ummm, well duh! Only NeoKids could be counted on to highlight and latch onto that obvious fact. When the news first broke they kept harping on this "Low Test Numbers" thing ( see the earlier articles ) which is a way to say 'The Sky is not falling!'. Some even said "Make it Anyway" despite the fact that no-one would use it. Meanwhile they throw several hundreds of millions of Windows XP users under the bus at every opportunity.

This time around Dot MetroTard gets the first comment in: ""If you build it, they will come..." Just ask the guys over at VideoLAN...". Sorry, they did build it, and no-one came. There is a lot of hypocrisy as usual here, considering that almost none of the MetroTards would consider using anything except MSIE anyway. They are simply not that smart. Even if a perfect web browser were created, one so bombproof that it could never be compromised, the 'Tards would still use MSIE. It's that reverse Darwinism thing again.

But wait, in the most coincidental of ironic timings ever seen Mozilla simultaneously shoots its own foot in grand Microsoft fashion ...

Is suicide is contagious? ...

Firefox 'Australis' UI revamp now in Mozilla's beta test channel ( NeoWin 2014-03-21 )

The beta build shows off what will become the new user interface for Firefox when it becomes part of the public build for the browser later this spring, most likely as Firefox 29. Mozilla's blog states:

Weve changed the tab structure and functionality in Firefox to enable you to focus on your Web content. Tabs have a more fluid and streamlined shape, sit higher up in the browser and tabs that are not in use have been visually de-emphasized. Weve also moved the bookmark manager next to the bookmark star in your Firefox toolbar to make it easy to save your favorite sites for one click access.

That's the bureaucratic version of p!ssing on someone's head and telling them it's raining! Making matters worse the bozos are using fascist tactics over in their forums to clamp down on complaints, see here! The world has gone mad indeed.

Over at NeoWin some of the NeoKids once again demonstrate their desire to dictate what other people's computers look like, and also their innate talents for bootlicking. For example, Dot MetroTard wants desktop Firefox, something he clearly will never use, to look even more like Microsoft Tiles: "I'd love to see a Stylish script that squares off those ugly rounded tabs." Apparently it's not yet ugly enough already! The leadoff 'Tard comment was from a young sheeple in-training: "It's called change people, deal with it." Oh yeah, people are going to deal with it alright.

But does not this whole thing beg another question ... why are the Playskool fanboys are having such a hard time "dealing with" the changes underway to accommodate desktop users. Whoa, burnnnnn. Awards time. The first place grand prize for sheeple bah-ing and bleating goes to the fanboy in this exchange ...

"It's remarkably hilarious how people get all bent out of shape over such UI change like this.

I mean... MY GOD.. you'd think some had just walked muddy boots all over your priceless Persian rug.

OH NO WHAT EVER WILL WE DO!!!

bunch of sissys."

"Lots of people got bent out of shape with Win8's Start Screen too. Just how it is. Some like the changes, some don't, doesn't mean the latter are "sissys"."

"oh yea, I don't mind the base concept of the start screen but I generally dislike the how works.

But I take it like a man."

Ummm, sorry. That is most certainly *not* 'taking it like a man'. Listen up fanboy. By bending over, grabbing your ankles with a smile on your face you are doing the exact opposite - taking it like a woman. Try again sweetie.

[Windows 8 - Deeper Impressions]

Meanwhile, in the Executive Lounge ...

Seagate CEO Stephen J. Luczo departs Microsoft's board of directors ( NeoWin 2014-03-21 )

With Luczo's departure, Microsoft once again has 10 members on its board, including Nadella, co-founder Bill Gates and former CEO Steve Ballmer. John W. Thompson remains as chairman of the board. The company made no indications it plans to increase its size back to 11 members again.

Nothing to see here, move along. Or, then again.

Microsoft's Chief Product Officer of Xbox Marc Whitten departs company ( NeoWin 2014-03-18 )

Xbox executive Marc Whitten heading to Sonos after 14 years with Microsoft ( TechSpot 2014-03-18 )

Microsoft is losing one of its key Xbox executives who has been with the division since before the launch of the first version of the company's game console. Marc Whitten, Microsoft's Chief Product Officer of Xbox, will depart the company after 17 years to fill the same role at the audio hardware company Sonos.

Microsofts Chief Product Officer of Xbox, Marc Whitten, will be leaving the company to fill the role of Chief Product Officer for Sonos. The remainder of the Xbox team will remain intact with Whittens team now reporting directly to Terry Myerson, executive vice president that oversees the teams building the software platform and experiences for Windows, Windows Phone and Xbox.

Here is the last known photo of the Xbox dude and Terry Myerson seen together on the Redmond campus ...

Don't tell me your innocent Marc. Admit what you did with Xbone ...

Bill Gates: The Rolling Stone Interview ( Rolling Stone 2014-03-13 )

Bill Gates: 'Microsoft would have been willing to buy' WhatsApp ( NeoWin 2014-03-14 )

Warning, make sure you have insulin ready when you read this sweetness and light puff piece from the incalculably useless Rolling Stone magazine. It reminds me of some of the stuff written in the early 1980's by equally star-struck phony journalists.

You mentioned Mark Zuckerberg. When you look at what he's done, do you see some of yourself in him?

Oh, sure. We're both Harvard dropouts, we both had strong, stubborn views of what software could do. I give him more credit for shaping the user interface of his product. He's more of a product manager than I was. I'm more of a coder, down in the bowels and the architecture, than he is. But, you know, that's not that major of a difference. I start with architecture, and Mark starts with products, and Steve Jobs started with aesthetics.

When is the last time you even touched any code Bill? You've been riding that alleged BASIC coding feat for decades, all the while allowing all manner of crap code to make it into products. And 'aesthetics' is the last thing you should be scoffing at anybody over. The only time Microsoft software actually looks good is totally by accident.

Thanks to Edward Snowden, who has leaked tens of thousands of NSA documents, we are. Do you consider him a hero or a traitor?

I think he broke the law, so I certainly wouldn't characterize him as a hero. If he wanted to raise the issues and stay in the country and engage in civil disobedience or something of that kind, or if he had been careful in terms of what he had released, then it would fit more of the model of "OK, I'm really trying to improve things." You won't find much admiration from me.

Pathetic on so many levels. Staying in the country would be a fatal mistake, literally. But what is most offensive is that he says Snowden should do civil disobedience, which is the very last thing that billg himself would ever do. The coward will never stand up against the onslaught of attacks on the citizens yet who on Earth is in a better position than him to at least try? Did he refuse PRISM? No, he jumped in to become the first and primary partner. Need a backdoor into Windows, sure, no problem! Has Gates so much as even raised a concern about all the revelations since? Of course not. The revelations are exposing him and there are more to come, this is why he hates the guy. Mostly he is merely posturing to remain a favored public servant, but at the core of people like him is an aristocratic self-image status and a belief in keeping the uppity serfs under control. Cowards will never risk a thing for someone else, in billg's case it is simpler and easier to buy a fresh reputation by creating a tax sheltering foundation and tossing some money around. Lord knows there's plenty of dummies around to buy it.

Let's talk about income inequality, which economist Paul Krugman and others have written a lot about. As a person who's at the very top of the one percent, do you see this as one of the great issues of our time?

Well, now you're getting into sort of complicated issues. In general, on taxation-type things, you'd think of me as a Democrat. That is, when tax rates are below, say, 50 percent, I believe there often is room for additional taxation. And I've been very upfront on the need to increase estate taxes. Particularly given the medical obligations that the state is taking on and the costs that those have over time. You can't have a rigid view that all new taxes are evil. Yes, they have negative effects, but I'm like Krugman in that if you expect the state to do these things, they are going to cost money.

The thin air at the top of the world has killed many of his brain cells. I take this comment very seriously. Middle class people like myself wish we only paid 50% ( which in itself is halfway to the literal definition of slavery already ), but after 25%-35% Fed, 15% SS, 9% State, all of which are calculated from the gross and taken off the top - you already net that 50% that Gates speaks of. Then the hits come from property and school and sales and city/local out of the remainder. And all this before get to worry about heating/power/utility, insurance, mortgage/rent, food. Cap that off with the incalculable upcoming medical tax and it's pretty much game over for everyone except this dirtbag Bill Gates who is fine with it all since he can afford it. And finally, should any of us manage to save anything until the end, Gates says sure, let the government come in and take yet another bite in estate taxes. I hope he burns in hell.

The section of the interview on health care gets even creepier ( and yes, further off-topic ) particularly when he questions the wisdom of spending lots of money on elderly people's treatment, exposing his real true beliefs of an cold, calculating and thoroughly immoral future like Soylent Green. Well, for us anyway, but not him and the other aristocrats. The nobility is always exempt from decrees of the state. Gates goes on gleefully demonstrating his classic God complex in other subjects, but I have to mention my personal pet peeve, and the main reason I distrust him so vehemently - Polio. The interviewer gives him multiple opportunities to do so but Gates never manages to give any credit to Salk and others, instead choosing to discuss getting those last few countries to get their acts together so he can get a Nobel or something. Gates is essentially trying to mop up those last few percent that remain after the real pioneers, without computers, did all the hard work.

You know, actually he is doing what Microsoft often does by taking credit for other people's work ( e.g., original DOS ). I don't care how cynical this sounds but I think this was entirely calculated and fits the evidence and matches his track record. When you set up a trust or foundation on this scale you need some wins, and none is as high profile as a 'Gates cures Polio' headline and ticker-tape parade. It kills several birds with one stone - it's easy ( compared to Flu/AIDS/etc ), it makes the foundation look legitimate, it makes you look philanthropic rather than a predatorial monopolist. It is obviously contrived IMHO. I'm not one of those that worships anyone unskeptically, especially when the object of worship can do anything he wants. I have more respect for Paul Allen buying sports teams than those like Gates buying himself a reputation. He is simply following the exact same playbook of many robber barons of the past ( Carnegie/Morgan/Vanderbilt/etc ) and in modern times ( Milken ) who amass incredible wealth, get in trouble, achieve no respect and set about buying that too. In truth, Gates's wealth ( including the 30 billion allegedly given to his foundation ) is really mostly from self-issued shares of stock driven up by years of fast-talking snake oil plus manipulations of the operating systems monopoly. The oil and steel barons at least created something tangible and thoroughly improved lives ( oil/fuel/heat ) and many things that survive to today ( steel/structures/ships ). It is very doubtful that any software will make such a long lasting mark on the human condition, especially considering their current direction of dumbing down the population to chimpanzee levels. (End Rant!)

[Windows 8 - Deeper Impressions]

Microsoft Controversy of the Week ( mentioned by MagicAndre1981 ) ...

Ex-Microsoft programmer arrested and charged with leaking Windows 8 code ( NeoWin 2014-03-19 )

Ex-Microsoft employee arrested for stealing and leaking copies of Windows 8 ( TechSpot 2014-03-20 )

Former Microsoft Employee in Hot Water for Allegedly Leaking Windows 8 Trade Secrets ( Maximum PC 2014-03-20 )

Alleged Windows 8 leaker suspended from his current job ( NeoWin 2014-03-20 )

An ex-Microsoft employee was arrested yesterday in Seattle by the FBI for leaking early copies of Windows 8. Alex Kibkalo, a former senior architect at Microsoft, is accused of stealing and leaking company trade secrets while working for the software giant. He worked at Microsoft for seven years, and most recently served as a Director of Product Management in 5nine Software, according to his LinkedIn profile.

FBI? Oh great. Now you see what lobbying buys them - a personal police force that is not available to the other 99.99% of companies, at their disposal to help keep Microsoft employees in line. This is not why we have a federal government and Constitution. Friggin ridiculous! Trade secrets once again treated as a federal offense, yet offshoring jobs isn't? Monopolistic tactics isn't? OEM backroom deals isn't? Well what do you expect from our corrupt DoJ who also waste time and money going after baseball players. On a lighter note, shouldn't Microsoft be giving the guy some kind of award for releasing Windows 8 and somehow finding recipients who were actually interested enough to accept it? I suppose now someone will blame the "leaker" for the whole 10% adoption fiasco rather than blaming themselves for producing it in the first place. ... Oh wait, here's a variation on that idea already, as posted by an actual Softie ...

The impact such things can have is substantial. As someone who was working on the product at the time, things like that were incredibly frustrating. Things like this mean you can't trust other employees at the company. At least he wasn't in Windows or a real engineer. But this is exactly the sort of thing that leads to teams not being able to share plans or code with other teams out of fear they'll leak ####. I'm glad they caught this guy and hope other would-be leakers take notice and think twice before ####ing with their hardworking colleagues.

There's a rancid stink of rationalization all over this comment. So that's the reason why teams at Microsoft cannot work together? The secret leaker is the cause of it? Has nothing to do with the insanity of backstabbing and buttkissing and stack ranking quotas. Okay got it. Now wonder this company is screwed, they employ sheeple. Well I guess his comment kinda makes in one twisted way: After the voluntary exodus of all the actual intelligent employees, followed by the quota terminations of those not willing to buttkiss, it follows that all that remains would be the hive mind in all its glory.

Was 'Canouna' the unnamed blogger involved in the Windows 8 leak probe? ( NeoWin 2014-03-20 )

Microsoft snooped through blogger's email to find source of Windows 8 leaks ( NeoWin 2014-03-20 )

Of course, Microsoft snooping through the email account of the blogger does raise a few questions about privacy but at this point, when using a companys service, its hard not to anticipate that they have the ability to read all of your emails/messages no matter the vendor. Especially when it comes to their own IP being leaked, you can bet that they will go to any measure to make sure their code is protected.

Here's the actual quote from the Microsoft document admitting their spying ...

After confirmation that the data was Microsoft's proprietary trade secret, on September 7, 2012 Microsoft's Office of Legal Compliance (OLC) approved content pulls of the blogger's Hotmail account.

Proving that Microsoft can screw up anything, they have now managed to expose themselves as breaking into a non-employee email account. The thread starts off with this exchange ( Dot MetroTard in red ) ...

Why is that troubling? Why would an internal investigation need one?

Based on the article it seems that MS and not the FBI pulled the emails, big difference.

Right, but this occurred using Microsoft's own services, while he was employed there.

Check the article: MS pulled the blogger's emails not its employee one and, if I remember correctly the blogger lives in France.

Ahh, I see it now. It still doesn't sound like they're doing anything wrong. I would assume if the blogger was using an outside service - say GMail - they then would have had to take extra steps to procure those emails.

You see how even after his denseness is penetrated he still rationalizes away the computer crime that Microsoft perpetrated. And that's just the beginning. The comments eventually switch over to a chorus line of fascist cheerleading as the sheeple goosestep into line. This 'Tard pretty much sums it up in a single sentence ...

MSFT doesn't need a warrant to look into your email buddy. you agreed to the TOS giving them permission to do as they wish. sorry.

One commenter reminds them of a good point in light of the infamous Scroogle campaign hypocrisy ...

There was a quite lengthy and technical post some time ago by thenetavenger explaining how all your data was encrypted on Microsoft servers with absolutely no way to be read by anyone other than you.

I guess it's safe to assume now that it was a load of bull.

And one of the real dead-ender contender sheeple adds this ...

Notice this required a massive 'escalation', just like if Microsoft had to response to an external warrant; which is why it had to go all the way through Microsoft legal to issue the security encryption keys.

This is not a story about Microsoft going through a random user's email.

Ah, so which is it then? Is it or isn't it encrypted? And does Microsoft have access to encryption keys *or* can they somehow brute force crack *or* utilize a back door? The non-employee recipient whose email was hacked by Microsoft apparently resides in France which gives another angle to this story.

It didn't take long for the crap to hit the fan ...

Microsoft Software Leak Inquiry Raises Privacy Issues ( New York Times 2014-03-20 )

SEATTLE Technology companies have spent months denying they know anything about broad government spying on people who use their Internet services.

But a legal case filed this week against a former Microsoft employee shows the power these companies themselves have to snoop on their customers whenever they want to.

[...]

While Microsofts actions appear to have been legal and within the scope of its own policies, its reading of the private online accounts of a customer without a court order was highly unusual and raises questions about its protections for customer data, privacy lawyers say.

What blogger will use that service now? said Jennifer Granick, an attorney and director of civil liberties at the Stanford Center for Internet and Society.

Ms. Granick said it appeared that Microsofts actions were within the boundaries of the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, which allows service providers to read and disclose customers communications if it is necessary to protect the rights or property of the service provider. Still, she called the move by Microsoft stupid and said it should raise concerns among bloggers and journalists about using Microsoft Internet services to communicate with their sources.

[...]

Microsoft said it had done nothing wrong, but seemed to acknowledge the unusual nature of its actions as well as a brewing outcry over its methods of investigating the former employee by saying it would take several new steps to reassure customers that their communications will be private.

In a statement, John E. Frank, a Microsoft vice president and deputy general counsel, said that in the future, if the company had evidence of a crime against Microsoft, it would submit that evidence to an outside lawyer who is a former judge, and that it would conduct a search of private communications only if the judge concluded there was enough evidence to meet the standards for a court order. Companies do not need to obtain court orders to search their own services, Mr. Frank said.

( much more at the article )

Oh really Mr. Vice President ( of a software company )? You'll defer to an outside lawyer, an ex-judge in your hip pocket? Wow, that ought to impress everybody. This is at the minimum an egregious escalation of bad precedent. In fact they just admitted something substantial that we already suspected all along. The whole government spook thing with court orders is a complete farce, if the spooks only need to ask Microsoft to do it instead. Now the whole PRISM thing makes perfect sense. The reality is that whatever concept of privacy that anyone used to hold is now officially dead and buried. No amount of sleight of hand of issuing totals of "law enforcement requests" or similar phony concerns mean squat. Betting the whole company on the cloud may yet prove to be the most fatal calculation they have made, that is if the sheeple ever wake up to these facts and leave them high and dry.

And the story has grown legs long enough to officially say that Microsoft could miss the side of a barn shooting from the inside ( they would hit their feet first, and then their head ) ...

Microsoft admits snooping on blogger's Hotmail account to find Windows 8 leak ( TechSpot 2014-03-21 )

Microsoft Alters Outlook and Hotmail Policy After Snooping a Blogger's Inbox ( Maximum PC 2014-03-21 )

Microsoft to add new policies that will limit internal Hotmail-Outlook.com searches ( NeoWin 2014-03-21 )

Just a couple of days after an ex-Microsoft employee was arrested by the FBI for stealing and leaking copies of Windows 8, the software giant is caught up in a privacy storm after it admitted that it searched through an unknown French bloggers Hotmail/Outlook inbox to crack the identity of the perpetrators.

The revelation has left Microsoft red-faced because it has condemned Google for the same reasons in the past. The company last year launched a Scroogled campaign that mocked Gmail's privacy. Microsoft, however, says that the examination was legal because the companys privacy policy gives it the right to access private information stored on its communication services, to protect the property of the company or its customers.

Oh, and here is a infamous quote to remember the next time Microsoft runs a Scroogle ad ...

Microsoft goes on to state that courts do not issue orders authorizing someone to search themselves. Therefore if Microsoft believes it has probable cause, there's no court process to follow to search through information on servers located on its own premises.

Thank you for saying that clearly! It would make a fine tee-shirt or better yet, public service infographics. Funny thing how that excuse from Microsoft about 'not needing a warrant to search their own servers' is suddenly the excuse du jour at NeoWin. Nobody over there was using that a few days ago when they were marching in no-questions-asked lockstep approval of the spying. Microsoft gets on the defensive and suddenly so do the NeoChildren.

But you know what no-one is really saying? Why didn't Microsoft hand it over to the FBI and not check the mail until the FBI got a warrant? Huh? They clearly acted above the law that stands in place for you or I, or the FBI ironically.

One MPC Commenter sums it up rather nicely ..."Good to know, I'm going to go down to my properties I own and start looking through my tenant's belongings so I can kick them out if i find anything in there I don't like. My property after all, they have no expectation of privacy." Naturally a MicroZealot disagrees and says that's not comparable because Hotmail is "free" ( where do these people come from? ) as if rent/subscription vs loan/favors mark the difference between rights and no rights.

And it continues! ...

Here's what Microsoft charges the FBI to access customer data ( TechSpot 2014-03-21 )

Leaked emails show amount of money Microsoft gets from government info requests ( NeoWin 2014-03-21 )

A collection of e-mails and invoices obtained by the Syrian Electronic Army claims to show how much Microsoft charges a secret division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation to legally collect and view information about its customers.

The Daily Dot reports that they received the documents from the SEA, which include emails and invoices from Microsoft to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, specifically the agency's Digital Intercept Technology Unit (DITU.) For example, the documents show that Microsoft charged the DITU $352,200 in August 2013, at $200 per information request.

Wow! Sounds like a very profitable business, almost exactly like Google selling customer data to advertisers. Well that's ironic. And for double the taxpayer pleasure we must remember it is us who are paying for this NOT the FBI. NeoWin and Microsoft seem to not understand this concept when they say "charges the FBI". Of course the cheerleaders can't begin to figure any of this out, most are saying "reasonable admin fee" and the like. One wonders what it will take! Here is the hands down winner of the Cognitive Dissonance Award ...

D*mn straight they should be charging, hells yeah, stick it da man!

Am I p*ssed some of my tax dollars are going to MS because of my government? Of course, but that's another discussion.

Seriously?! The human race is screwed for sure. Depending on this kid's gender, I have two suggestions: Vasectomy or Tubal ligation. Do your part for humanity please before its too late.

[Windows 8 - Deeper Impressions]

The Windows XP FUDpocalypse continues! ...

Microsoft Store offers $50 gift card with select new PCs to help ditch Windows XP ( NeoWin 2014-03-14 )

In a new promotion on the Microsoft Store website, the company is offering people a free $50 gift card with the purchase of a new Windows 8.1 PC or a tablet from a pre-selected group of products. Some of the devices are already on sale, such as the 32GB Dell Venue 8 Pro tablet for just $229 and the Asus VivoBook X200CA-9BCT touchscreen notebook for $279.

In addition to the $50 Microsoft Store gift card, anyone who purchases one of these PCs will get 90 days of free phone, chat and sales support. The site also has a link to the previously announced free file transfer tool to move any Windows XP content to a new Windows 8.1 product.

NOTE: misleading title by a sneaky author who is trying to drum up hits ( yes, that's how they get paid ) using the term "Windows XP" since it works on NeoKids pretty much the same way pouring bleach on a dirty basement floor causing all manner of slithering critters to come out of hiding. In truth, this offer does NOT have any tie-in to Windows XP at all, it is merely another example of a Windows 8 Crazy Eddie firesale. ... But hold on now .... That didn't last long at all! ... One week later ...

Microsoft sweetens XP upgrade offers as support deadline nears ( TechSpot 2014-03-21 )

Microsoft Store now offers $100 off new PCs for trading in a Windows XP machine ( NeoWin 2014-03-21 )

Microsoft is sweetening the pot in hopes of getting holdouts to switch from their dated Windows XP machine to something a bit more modern. Last week, the Redmond-based company offered a $50 gift card to those purchasing a Windows 8.1 computer but theyve since improved that offer in more ways than one.

From now through June 15, XP users looking to move to a new system are eligible for a $100 discount on a qualifying machine priced at $599 or higher. A Microsoft rep said the deal will only show up for those who visit the Microsoft Store via a Windows XP machine in a clear nod to make sure that only XP users receive the savings.

I wonder how many of the NeoKids will figure they can do the same buy firing up an old computer or running XP in VM ( and how much you wanna bet some of them will scam their beloved Microsoft by doing exactly this ). For everyone else, this is still no deal at all. Knocking $100 off the price of any modern piece of crap just brings the total closer to where the number used to be before this train wreck operating system was released in the fall of 2012. As predicted, crappier computers costing more money than they did two years ago ( quite a feat, almost unprecedented in the entire computer age ), running an operating system that drives people batsh!t crazy.


Many banks paying Microsoft big bucks to support Windows XP-based ATMs ( NeoWin 2014-03-14 )

It's becoming clear that even though Microsoft warned support for XP would be ending for years, many large businesses did not heed the alerts and will now have to pay a lot more money due to their procrastination.

Same author, again using "Windows XP" as fly bait to get page hits ( that's how they get paid ), incorrectly using ATMs in the context of Windows XP end-of-support Armageddon. These things are not even a part of the "usage" stats, there is no way they even show up on browser statistics. Anyone that attempts to associate Windows XP lack-of-support for placebo security fixes is either retarded or criminal. To think that every patch Tuesday all the ATMs get their biweekly fix of Microsoft benevolence is insanity.


10 percent of U.S. government PCs will still use Windows XP after support ends ( NeoWin 2014-03-17 )

The Washington Post reports that even at 10 percent, that still means hundreds of thousands of government PCs will be using XP. That includes computers that are connected to classified military and diplomatic networks.

Same author, once again using "Windows XP" as lure to drum up page hits ( that's how they get paid ). That last bolded part is meant to elicit an "Oh no! How irresponsibly dangerous!" response from the NeoKids and other special people. I'm starting to think that they actually believe that once a computer is fired up with Windows that even if the thing has no Wi-Fi/Cell hardware and is completely physically unplugged from the network it still magically can get compromised through thoughtwaves. Seriously, I believe education has descended this far. They also believe without the comforting feeling of an assurance of "support" from Microsoft that the world will collapse around them. No AppleTard was ever this retarded.


Avast Warns of Widespread Security Issues Once Microsoft Abandons XP ( Maximum PC 2014-03-17 )

AVAST: Cutting off Windows XP support is a "big mistake" ( NeoWin 2014-03-19 )

Even as Microsoft tries to get Windows XP owners to upgrade before the product becomes end-of-life on April 8th, the third party anti-virus company AVAST is calling the decision to stop all XP patches and updates a "big mistake".

In a blog post, AVAST claims that the elimination of patches for XP "will create severe security issues". It says that 23.6 percent of its 211 million customers are still using XP on their PCs and seemed to suggest that many of them could not afford to upgrade to a more recent version of Windows. AVAST stated, "Abandoning Windows XP is a big mistake, especially since Microsoft has not been very successful in transitioning XP users to newer systems."

To help deal with the upcoming threats, Avast says it's committed to supporting XP for at least the next three years. Avast will also create protection modules and detections specifically designed for XP.

And another one! The same author, again using "Windows XP" as bait to hook some SheepleFish to drum up page hits ( did I mention that's how they get paid ). Shameless.

That's pretty pathetic already, but what do we make of this example of Idiocracy ...

It's not just home users who are at risk, either. According to Vlcek, more than 9 out of 10 ATMs still run XP, as do many medical offices that store confidential patient information and stores that retain customer details, such as credit card numbers.

Wait wut!?! The MPC author constructed that painful sentence with "users who are at risk" and then concatenating in the separate topic of ATMs and doctor offices. While it is certainly possible to connect one of these latter things to the Internet and Windows Update, this would NOT be a normal circumstance. Therefore, the author must be intentionally misleading or terminally stupid, quite like tabloid newspapers or sportswriters. Either that, or we have indeed reached end-of-days where the people around us have grown so dumb that society and the world has very little time left.


EDITORIAL: Windows XP: What will likely happen on April 9th ( NeoWin 2014-03-19 )

Not to be left in the dust, the infamous Brad Sams jumps onto the Windows XP FUDpocalypse bandwagon ...

After April 8th,if you are running Windows XP, your machine will no longer receive support from Microsoft. What this means is that if new exploits are found within the OS, the company will not release patches to fill in those holes. In short, your machine will be exposed to outside threats that could cripple your machine and cause you to lose all of your data.

Really Brad, even computers that are offline? You must have meant to say "In short, your Internet connected machine" right? But even that is not true. What about those behind hardware firewalls and those not using MSIE? Or those not owned by short bus retards? Is Windows XP really the significant characteristic among security issues, or is it these other things? Don't bother trying to answer that though, the linchpin for your entire worldview will become detached and it will all cave in.

Well, for one thing, Windows 7 and 8 have modern architectures and can make better use out of your hardware so if nothing else, by upgrading your machine will see a performance boost.

Ah, so that's how it works, eh? No Is it not possible Brad for a later version to be more feature-rich and more bloated? Of course it is That is the norm whether it is Office or whatever. When Win9x was cohabitating the world with WinXP this nonsense argument began. WinXP was slower than a three-legged turtle compared to Win9x on the same hardware, and it was because it did more, MUCH more. Just the file indexing alone blows the performance right off the charts, and has been in every succeeding version. All anyone needs to do today is run ProcMon and see for themselves the CPU hit in later versions of Windows which now have almost innumerable transactions per second from countless tasks and services. But why let a few facts get in the way of simpleton logic. They actually believe there is a performance boost from using more bloated software because it somehow magically creates performance the same way others believe in over-unity energy or perpetual motion machines. I guess this is simple proof that there will always be a place for scammers in the world, there are so many suckers born every minute.

More so, you will get enhanced security protection directly from Microsoft that will help to keep your personal assets safe.

Yeah well, that's a load of crap. This lie wouldn't even exist if all those daily hacks into stores, banks and websites were forced to specify the operating systems involved ( and also the security software providers ). Guess what those disclosures would point to. Yep, Windows 7, the most used operating system. But by all means Brad, stay comfortable in your meme.

But really, here is the scenario that you should be most worried about.

Put yourself in the mind of someone who writes ransome-ware. If you find an exploit in Windows XP and you know that Microsoft will stop patching holes after April 8th, why would you release the exploit now as opposed to waiting? The answer: You wouldn't.

April 9th will likely see a wave of Windows XP exploits released and the more they are known about within the ransome-ware community, the more likely they will make their way out into the wild in volume. Its because of this scenario that makes running Windows XP post April 8th so risky.

I guess it would hurt his brain to find out that all the ransomware I have cleaned has been on, wait for it, Windows 7. But carry on Brad, spreading FUD, lies and hype. It really is notable that it has only taken 14 years for Y2K media abuse to already have been flushed down the memory hole. ( DIGRESSION: Y2K *was* indeed a serious issue and was successfully mitigated, but the world was far less connected at the time and would be far worse today, however I am only talking here about the media abuse with sensationalism aspect of the press who can always be counted on to screw it all up. The real lesson from Y2K is as a statement about how stupid we humans really are. Apparently no-one used Y2K as an educational opportunity to learn to use 4-digit year dates, or to specify them most significant digit first, and now we are right back where we started. I recall sorting the medication of a family member in 2001 and could not make heads or tails from the dates, and it also happens with food, and chemicals and everything else EVEN TODAY. ) Brad Sams, too young to know anything.

By not upgrading, you are opening yourself up to unnecessary threats by running a piece of software that was released in 2001.

2001 you say? Well riddle me this Batman, how old is Skype? For a real mind bender tell me the ages of these three: Vista SP1, Windows 2008, Windows XP SP3. But you have your meme. Keep comparing Windows XP RTM with the latest crap that Microsoft poops out.

We know that running Windows XP will become a serious risk after April 8th and as a point of reference, 6.6% of Neowin's traffic for the month of February came from users running XP.

We "know" no such thing. However, we do know that "Windows" itself is a risk since it is at the core of something like 92% of all virus incidents. We also know that the sheeple themselves are a risk and I would say they account for 99% of all incidents. Furthermore, if only 6.6% of NeoWin hits are from Windows XP users then I can say one more thing as well - NeoWin itself has a problem. It looks like they can not even match the 30%+ average that Windows XP sustains in general internet usage browser stats, meaning that NeoWin is not taken seriously by most people on the Internet, especially experts and veterans and is now a niche website catering to sheeple and 'Tards. That low percentage should be a warning to Steven, but he is apparently comfortable in his little sandbox full of NeoKids.

EDIT: typo

[Windows 8 - Deeper Impressions]

Phewwww. I just finally got caught up on all these posts ...

Here's a critique of W8.1U1 by a "brighter" Brit:

Windows 8.1 Update is the final nail in the coffin

No mincing words here:

Microsoft: Time to bury live tiles

ZDNet's James Kendrick destroys a proposal to make Apple's iOS more like Windows 8 (!!):

Not even Steve Jobs could sell live tiles on iOS 8

The disconnect with Windows 8.1: Hiding the utility

Great ones : I somehow missed all of them.

To lighten things up a bit....

1 in 10 Americans think HTML is an STD, study finds

27% identified "gigabyte" as an insect commonly found in South America.

42% said they believed a "motherboard" was "the deck of a cruise ship."

23% thought an "MP3" was a "Star Wars" robot.

12% said "USB" is the acronym for a European country.

The entire article can be read here: http://www.latimes.com/business/technology/la-fi-tn-1-10-americans-html-std-study-finds-20140304,0,1188415.story#axzz2v1PZtzMZ

I think I now understand how some people really think that Windows 8/8.1 is so great. But, to be fair, every industry has its inside acronyms that if you are not aware of them are nothing but Greek to you.

Just thought everyone might enjoy a chuckle.

Oh man! Humanity is doomed. Take off. Nuke from orbit. It's the only way to be sure

Speaking of monitoring:

and

Even more on there site (click on "explore data")

http://www.skyboximaging.com/

Well these folks are sure missing a golden opportunity with that missing plane.

[How do I recover files off NT formatted drive?]

I don't have any spare power supply units. If that's all that's wrong with it, it could still be salvageable you think?

I would test with a known working Power Supply now. It's good to have spares lying around for just this type of situation. As mentioned above, $40 should get you a 400 W minimum, NewEgg often his medium quality 500-600 W for that same price. There is always at least one on sale that is worth having on the shelf.

ADDED: don't forget to clean that well with air. Also do all the chips on the motherboard.

[How do I recover files off NT formatted drive?]

More pics.

In the second picture, compare the capacitor at the top left corner and the ones to right of the CPU. The ones next to the CPU have a corroded hard material on top, while the rest are neat and shiny looking.

Computer is an "Emachine T6410."

To be honest it looks like caked dust clinging to the adhesive, but I can't be sure.

I would nail that thing with canned air, a lot of it. Be sure to hold the fan blades when spraying the air to stop them from spinning and really clean out around the CPU and caps. And then take a higher resolution photo ( more pixels ), That one is in focus but even zoomed it is inconclusive. I don't see that misshapen cap in the new photo, is was probably an illusion. Just saying it might not be bad.

Use your eyeballs ... are those caps leaking with a brownish/blackish goo, or is it just the crud and dust?

[How do I recover files off NT formatted drive?]

I did a close visual inspection of the motherboard, and I did find something that looks bad. Some serious corrosion, or buildup of stuff on some transistors (?). They're right next to the CPU, they almost look melted or like an exploded battery. There is several of these. All the other ones on the board look shiny and normal. I'll attach a pic in a second.

Those are capacitors. The picture is too blurry to be sure but one looks misshapen which is a bad sign for caps. Be aware they usually use a thick glue which is clear or white around caps and some other components to prevent any movement. Some folks mistake this for leaking. Please get a better photo ( you don't need to zoom in, that can be done by us. Instead take a high resolution picture with higher megapixel setting, with the "auto" turned off for longer exposure and no flash. Make sure it is in focus. You need to either hold the camera steady or set it down or use a tripod. ).

[Windows 8 - Deeper Impressions]

Our Government Protectors hard at work ( continued ) ...

Snowden Says 'Many Other' Spy Programs Remain Secret, For Now ( US News 2014-03-07 )

Whistle-blower says U.S. missed Boston Marathon, 'underwear bomb' plots because NSA was 'tied up monitoring online games.'

That's not all they missed apparently since the recent news is: "MALAYSIA AIRLINES loses contact with flight carrying 239 en route to Beijing". That was breaking last weekend. UPDATE: as I write this they "may have located the plane finally, after 5 days.". FIVE days. UPDATE AGAIN: scratch that report. They have no clue where the plane is. Apparently all those high-flying long-duration drones are too busy spying on the taxpayers that paid for them instead of looking over the South China seas for survivors. It is stunning to watch short-duration choppers and planes deployed doing this job. It's positively criminal. So the spooks that are preoccupied swallowing up all the world's data miss this probable hijack and those alleged stolen passports, meanwhile the birds that the spooks use against us looking for pot plants and other nonsense can't spot a jumbo jet. Great work!

Edward Snowden: 'We Need a Watchdog That Watches Congress' ( National Journal 2014-03-10 )

Snowden's video appearance at a security conference in Texas led to lots of bloviating from our brain-dead politicians and our benevolent government protectors naturally. I have to point out this great comment exchange though. Read the reply carefully! ...

This guy is a Russian agent hellbent on sabotaging America and its superpower status. Sound familiar? Yeah, you-know-who is in on it too.

What's your fear? Are you worried that if America is weakened by Snowden's revelations that we'll get taken over by some police state type government that spies on everyone's emails and phone calls and spreads lies on the Internet with cyber personas, etc.? That would be terrible wouldn't it? We can't let that happen.

Absolutely classic! Clever too. : Lots of sheeple in that thread unfortunately. They literally want the spooks to take out Snowden so everything would go back to normal and they could get back to sleeping peacefully and blissfully. Dumb @ss sheep.

Too Much Information: Canceled Security Talk Deemed Too Risky ( Tom's Hardware 2014-03-10 )

French security expert Eric Filiol was scheduled to give a talk this Friday (Mar. 14) about the possibility of cyberattacks on critical-infrastructure facilities in the United States.

But the talk, titled "Hacking 9/11: The next is likely to be even bigger with an ounce of cyber," was abruptly canceled yesterday (March 9), less than a week before it was to be presented at the CanSecWest security conference in Vancouver, British Columbia.

In a Google Plus posting, CanSecWest organizer Dragos Ruiu said that the French and U.S. governments had intervened, classifying Filiol's presentation apparently because of fears that criminals or terrorists could use it as a roadmap for carrying out the attacks on power plants, electrical grids and other pieces deemed critical infrastructure.

Well that's not suspicious at all.

How the NSA Plans to Infect Millions of Computers with Malware ( FirstLook 2014-03-12 )

Possibly the latest Snowden leak via Greenwald and this one is a doozy ...

The covert infrastructure that supports the hacking efforts operates from the agencys headquarters in Fort Meade, Maryland, and from eavesdropping bases in the United Kingdom and Japan. GCHQ, the British intelligence agency, appears to have played an integral role in helping to develop the implants tactic.

In some cases the NSA has masqueraded as a fake Facebook server, using the social media site as a launching pad to infect a targets computer and exfiltrate files from a hard drive. In others, it has sent out spam emails laced with the malware, which can be tailored to covertly record audio from a computers microphone and take snapshots with its webcam. The hacking systems have also enabled the NSA to launch cyberattacks by corrupting and disrupting file downloads or denying access to websites.

Go that? They create botnets, hijack IP addresses ( probably through DNS infiltration ), create botnets, identity theft, send spam, distribute malware, steal data, operate webcams and mics, and run DDoS attacks. In short they are actually doing every possible computer crime in existence, bar none. There is a phrase for that: above the law. I don't recall the Constitution ( written by the States and the People ) granting the Feds the right to be above the law. We're seriously going to need a slate of new Amendments and the first one must hogtie the Feds to being bound by all laws that apply to the People with no exceptions. Then we can start sending them to prison for all the felonies they are rampantly committing 24/7 each and every day.

[Windows 8 - Deeper Impressions]

Our Government Protectors hard at work ...

British surveillance reportedly collected webcam images from millions of Yahoo users ( The Verge 2014-02-27 )

UK spy agency GCHQ stored millions of images from Yahoo users' webcams ( NeoWin 2014-02-27 )

British spy agency GCHQ collected millions of screenshots from Yahoo webcam chats ( TechSpot 2014-02-27 )

Optic Nerve is easily among the most invasive secret surveillance programs detailed over the past year. Yahoo's name has been tied to a number of them, and the company has been active in pushing for the government to at least allow it to release more data about government requests it receives. "We were not aware of nor would we condone this reported activity," a Yahoo spokesperson says in a statement to The Verge. "This report, if true, represents a whole new level of violation of our users' privacy that is completely unacceptable and we strongly call on the worlds governments to reform surveillance law consistent with the principles we outlined in December."

It seems that we are far from having learned the whole, ugly truth about government surveillance of citizens. After it emerged a few months ago that the NSA and other agencies had the capability to activate a users webcam remotely, and without the indicator light showing it is in use, it has now been revealed that UK intelligence agency GCHQ captured images from webcam chats of unsuspecting users.

According to The Guardian, GCHQ worked with Americas National Security Agency on a joint project called Optic Nerve. The program targeted Yahoo webcam chats between 2008 and 2010, but users were not targeted individually. Indeed, the method of collection appears somewhat indiscriminate, with still images captured and stored from the cam chats of over 1.8 million users within a single six-month period in 2008.

Images were seemingly collected at random regardless of whether or not an individual was considered to be a target. It wasnt uncommon for screenshots to contain sexually explicit content, the publication noted, as anywhere between three to 11 percent of imagery harvested by the GCHQ contained undesirable nudity.

Captured images were then fed into an automated facial recognition program that would match users with known targets.

A spokesperson for the agency said it is a longstanding policy not to comment on intelligence matters.

Oh lookee here, our pet spooks in the UK are exposed once again doing the things our own spooks are prohibited from doing. Who'da thunk it. As I've said before, this is one of the most dangerous revelations seen so far - the USA and UK are essentially using each other to bypass each others' laws. Of course they are grabbing webcam images, anything that can be done is being done. That is the lesson we have learned. I'll bet that Yahoo who has a popular messenger program knew about this and it was one of the things they objected to unsuccessfully. On a brighter note, most of the usual suspects speaking about "Tinfoil Hats" are AWOL from the comments at NeoWin at this time. Maybe it was that part in the quote about stealing webcam photos of: "1.8 million users" in just two years. Do you think they understand yet what's actually going on? That this is just the small tip of the iceberg that Snowden managed to capture?

The original story from The Verge quoting Yahoo really is enlightening as it exposes the default position the tech companies are getting comfortable with - pointing fingers at the government and the laws in an effort to absolve themselves of any responsibility. These same companies spare no expense at promoting themselves as safe and secure and cash in on massive advertising while hanging their customers out to dry. Perhaps in the UK this kind of thing is legal, but every single case over here is at the very minimum questionable and more likely highly illegal. The companies DO have the Constitution to fall back on but none of the big boys apparently have the stones to press these cases. That is the scary part and should be the thing that wakes up the sheeple from their blissful slumbering. The comments seen in these articles do indicate a grudging but slowly evolving realization of the scope of the spying. The word "tinfoil" is getting thrown around less and less, and naturally the obnoxious holdouts are found in NeoKids.

GCHQ considered using Microsoft's Kinect for surveillance: Snowden leaks ( NeoWin 2014-03-01 )

The GCHQ had initially considered using the Kinect for this same sort of surveillance. Although nothing apparently came out of it, several documents have shown that the GCHQ considered the Kinect camera to provide "fairly normal webcam traffic" which would be potentially useful as part of their wider Optic Nerve program.

Microsoft commented on the issue today in a response to Eurogamer, stating that they were "concerned" with the claims.

"Microsoft has never heard of this program. However, we're concerned about any reports of governments surreptitiously collecting private customer data. That's why in December we initiated a broad effort to expand encryption across our services and are advocating for legal reforms.

We're not aware of any surveillance activity. If it has occurred as reported, it certainly wasn't done with our consent."

What really jumps out of this article is the force with which Microsoft is denying knowledge or involvement here, something not seen in most of the spying articles. I'd bet that this is far from unknown to them, they most likely know full well the utility that Kinect would serve to spooks and cops everywhere. They most likely know exactly how the unit can easily be compromised and know exactly what to watch for and most likely have sniffed out cases where spooks have already done it but cannot talk about it. Their statement really has plenty of wiggle room, even that last part: "We're not aware of any surveillance activity." It's easy to NOT be aware when you know what to look for and then make your policy to NOT look for it. That's how you do it. Once again, if something can be done, you can take it to the bank that it will be done. We should now throw away the tinfoil and recalibrate our understanding to the new normal - every single thing that is possible is occurring. Every laptop, cellphone, webcam, microphone, sensor are potential eyes and ears for spooks. Big Brother in fiction had nothing whatsoever on our real-life government protectors.

Spy game: Local police tap cell phones. ( Florida Watchdog 2014-03-06 )

Recent court documents reveal a troubling cell phone surveillance program conducted by a Florida police department against unsuspecting cell phone users.

[...]

It later became known that police didnt seek a warrant or admit to using a little-known surveillance device called a Stingray.

Stingrays are small mobile devices that trick cell phones into connecting to them as if they were cell phone towers. The technology gives police the ability to track phone movements and intercept both phone calls and text messages of any cell phone within range.

[...]

Now on appeal, courtroom deliberations revealed last week that the Tallahassee Police Department used a Stingray 200 times since 2010 without seeking a warrant.

This is how the next precedent takes hold. And this is but one, single, solitary, tiny little police department out of the tens of thousands we are riddled with coast to coast, before you even consider all the larger overlapping jurisdictional forces at the State and Federal level. Do the math, the spying is now completely institutionalized, the culprits have no oversight and apparently have no inclination to believe they require authorization. George Orwell ( not to mention our own Founding Fathers ) are spinning in their graves. And the sheeple keep munching on snacks in their fields of bliss ( not the commenters in this article's thread though ).

Frustrated Facebook Founder Calls Obama About NSA Spying ( Tom's Hardware 2014-03-13 )

"When our engineers work tirelessly to improve security, we imagine we're protecting you against criminals, not our own government," Zuckerberg says in an open letter to Facebook users. "The US government should be the champion for the internet, not a threat."

Hey Zuck, nice try at attempting to limit the obvious damage all the leaks are doing. You wanna impress us? Defy them and spill all the beans. What can they do? You have billions at your disposal you coward. They could try to imprison you for a while but you would win in the end. The Big Data shills are all mega-cowards, especially when compared to all those flag draped coffins buried in the ground in our cemeteries that died fighting for the Constitution. Even more stark is the contrast with our original founders like Washington, Jefferson, Adams etc, who were very wealthy in their day and committed treason, putting themselves in jeopardy of execution rather than sitting comfortably in their mansions sitting the war out. They were courageous, these clowns are not. All we hear are carefully selected words, memos, complaints to the government, barely nibbling at the edges of this crisis, and in truth it is all self-serving, meant only to get customers to spend money on your business. Zuck you Mark.

[Windows 8 - Deeper Impressions]

The Cloud is your friend ( no really it is! ) ...

Millions of Twitter users' passwords mistakenly reset in a system error ( NeoWin 2014-03-04 )

According to Re/code, the email was sent out to less than one percent of the total users. While this number may seem to be minimal, it works out to around 6,457,500 users out of a total of an estimated 645,750,000.

The cloud is your friend. Nothing to see here, move along.

Holy Data Breach, Batman! Hackers Hit Comixology ( Tom's Hardware 2014-03-06 )

Popular online and mobile digital-comics store Comixology informed its subscribers today (March 6) that "an unauthorized individual" had accessed its database of customers' usernames, email addresses and passwords.

However, the passwords were encrypted, Comixology said in its email to subscribers. Even if the passwords were stolen, they shouldn't be readable so long as the encryption was decent.

Comixology also said it didn't store users' payment information on its own servers, so the intruder wouldn't be able to access Comixology readers' credit-card numbers and other payment data.

The cloud is your friend. Nothing to see here, move along.

Twitter currently suffering from service outage (Update: It's back up) ( NeoWin 2014-03-11 )

Twitter's status page has been updated with the following message: "Most users are experiencing issues accessing Twitter on web and mobile apps. Were looking into it." As usual, the company did not offer any details on what might be wrong and how long the outage might last. Naturally, we will update this post when Twitter issues an update and/or services are back to normal.

Update: Twitter seems to be back up and running again. So far there's no official word on what happened to the service.

The cloud is your friend. Nothing to see here, move along.

Some Xbox One users can't sign on to Xbox Live right now, 'Titanfall' not to blame (Update: Back up) ( NeoWin 2014-03-11 )

This has been going on for over two hours at the time of this writing. The Xbox Live alert page states, "We are aware of the issue and we have a stellar team working very hard to fix it. Thanks for being patient."

The cloud is your friend. Nothing to see here, move along.

WhatsApp security flaw reportedly leaves your private messages at risk ( TechSpot 2014-03-12 )

An IT expert has uncovered another flaw in the popular messaging service WhatsApp. According to Netherlands based technical consultant Bas Bosschert, Android WhatsApp users are at risk of having their messages stolen.

The cloud is ... well you know.

New FreedomPop Phone Promises to Preserve Your Privacy ( Tom's Hardware 2014-03-06 )

"In light of recent violations in consumer's privacy across social networks and mobile devices, privacy is becoming increasingly important to many Americans and we all have a right to communicate anonymously," said Steven Sesar, COO at FreedomPop.

FreedomPop claims that the Privacy Phone, which is a Samsung Galaxy S II, is the only smartphone and mobile service that enables encrypted communications. The device uses the company's VoIP network, which enables encrypted communication for voice calls and text messages. The phone also uses 128-bit encryption.

According to the company, the phone sends application and Internet data through a virtual private network, or VPN, meaning users will be completely anonymous online.

At least there is this one tiny sliver of good news to offset the thousand other stories. Will it ever see the light of day? I hope so. By all logic this area should become a huge growth market. Let's just hope we can figure out which products are real and which are actually honeypots built by the spooks ( don't even try to doubt that they are doing this! ).

Vodafone Germany starts rolling out SIM card based encryption ( NeoWin 2014-03-12 )

The solution which will utilize a PIN and a digital signature will be used to encrypt the data at sender's end and decrypt at the receiver's ends using the SIM. Data such as emails, documents, VPN connections and other forms of data communication will be secured using it. Currently, the Secure SIM solution uses S/MIME encryption but the company expects to use PGP in the future as the system becomes mature.

Make that two slivers of good news. No Such Agency was not available for comment.

[Windows 8 - Deeper Impressions]

The Cloud is your friend ...

Dropbox's terms of service changes met with anger in user comments ( NeoWin 2014-02-21 )

In the blog post, one of the changes that was mentioned was that Dropbox will be adding a way to use arbitration to settle disputes between the company and its users. The blog states that Dropbox feels that such a move is a "faster way" to settle such cases. However, going to the actual terms of service page itself reveals something else. Dropbox will now prohibit its users from entering any class action lawsuits made against it.

Further manifestations of the danger of precedents set, accepted by the sheeple, and then others follow Microsoft's lead of changing EULAs to serve themselves and screw the customers. As certain as death and taxes, one can always count on Hollywood and big corporate players ( plus those that aspire to be ) to inevitably copy their peers. Big Media maintain huge swimming pools full of circling lawyer sharks and can't help themselves from screwing over everyone. The biggest lesson however, should be that the most dangerous component is that made up of enablers, who forever plant themselves firmly in the position of accepting anything and everything despite having been warned of the ramifications repeatedly. It's a brave new world where the lemmings sheeple voluntarily walk off the edge of the cliff.

Google, Microsoft agree: Cloud is now safe enough to use ( CNet 2014-02-26 )

The two Internet powerhouses agree that it's time to stop fearing cloud security and embrace the future at the annual RSA Conference.

The cloud is secure enough to use, said panelists at the annual RSA Conference in San Francisco on Wednesday. From left to right: Bruce Schneier, independent security analyst; Eran Feigenbaum of Google; Wade Baker of Verizon; and Bret Arsenault of Microsoft.

Haven't read much about this meeting, but I highly doubt that Bruce Schneier is as onboard as they describe ( God forbid he gets bought off and jumps over to the darkside ) . I certainly have no doubt that Microsoft and Google are in damage control mode though, hence this stupid conference. Paul Thurrott also mentioned it ( and the latest GCHQ story ) here.

Microsoft received over 72,000 law enforcement info requests in 2013 ( NeoWin 2014-03-08 )

Microsoft saw the number of requests from law enforcement agencies around the world asking for customer account information go down for all of 2013 compared to 2012. While the company got 75,378 such requests in 2012, 2013 saw a total of 72,279 inquires.

Requests from public law enforcement agencies, not spooks. And naturally that doesn't even touch upon the stuff that spooks and other groups simply take without asking. So Microsoft ( and all the others ) seem to believe that this meaningless bit of information makes everything peachy? Give me a break. The only thing it tells us is that everyone from the Feds on down see Microsoft and all companies including the ISP's as information sources of first resort, where they should be the last resort after exhausting every traditional non-invasive method available. This is the new paradigm. No privacy, don't even be fool enough to expect it.

Federal Reserve has no authority to regulate Bitcoin, chairwoman says ( TechSpot 2014-02-28 )

Bitcoin has had a rough go of it here lately but fortunately for the crypto-currency, it received a bit of good news on Thursday as Federal Reserve Chairwoman Janet Yellen told the Senate Banking Committee that the Federal Reserve simply dont have the authority to supervise or regulate Bitcoin in any way.

But they sure would like to. Anyone watching CNBC or FBC the past couple of days weeks probably saw all the spoiled talking heads badmouthing Bitcoin. They are seriously jealous in that they failed to ride this wave themselves and now want to make sure no-one else does it again. It's so disgusting to see these creeps rooting for any more government intrusion into private property. They are the 'nobles' and the 'aristocracy' of yore, enablers for the feudal system as long as they get their piece of the action. After seeing these malcontents demand this, and the politicos doing the same ( not to mention the fanboys at the link ) I am now firmly rooting for disruptive pseudo-currencies in whatever form they take.

Meetup website hit with DDoS attacks, hackers asked for $300 to stop it ( NeoWin 2014-03-04 )

Meetup co-founder and CEO Scott Heiferman, offered a timeline of the events. He received an email on Thursday, February 27th with the following message:

"A competitor asked me to perform a DDoS attack on your website. I can stop the attack for $300 USD. Let me know if you are interested in my offer."

The DDoS attacks then began and brought down the Meetup website. Heiferman said it took about a day to restore services but it got hit again by two more attacks; one on March 1st and the other on March 2. While the site is now back up and running, Heiferman said it was possible more attacks are planned.

As to the $300 extortion offer, Heiferman said that Meetup did not pay it because they simply won't negotiate with criminals. He also said that the low amount of money might also be a trick and that if the company had paid it off, the people responsible for the attacks might simply ask for more.

IMHO we can no longer assume that these events are due to criminal hackers, even though the facts here ( extortion and ransom ) make it appear so. If I were a deep black spook agency I would use these very methods to establish bona fides as a black hat hacker or random script kiddie. Of course the real irony is this: there is no real difference between them, morally, ethically, criminally or otherwise.

Target received multiple security alerts when Black Friday hack started but did nothing about it ( TechSpot 2014-03-13 )

The security breach that led to the theft of some 40 million credit cards from Target late last year wasnt a result of poor security. The companys state-of-the-art security system did indeed detect the hack as soon as it started and alerts were sent out but nothing was done until two weeks later until federal investigators issued a warning.

According to a new report from Bloomberg Businessweek, Target started installing FireEye malware software some six months before the attack. And when hackers started uploading their code to Targets system, the alarm bells the most urgent on FireEyes graded scale went out. As the hackers uploaded different variants of the malware, more alerts were issued that pointed to unfamiliar malware.

That is going to be one expensive mistake, and I don't mean the actual money stolen. Wait until the lawyers get through with them. Hey, I have a question: Can we also hammer Big Data like Microsoft and Google when they screw up?

[Windows 8 - Deeper Impressions]

Computer Insecurity ...

Skype now available worldwide for Outlook.com users, adds HD video calls ( NeoWin 2014-03-04 )

Read this quote using Alex Trebek voice ...

Nearly seven months after Microsoft first added Skype integration into Outlook.com for U.S. residents, the company is now allowing users of the email service worldwide to access the Skype messaging and call features.

In a post on the Skype blog, Microsoft states that in addition to opening up Skype to all Outlook.com users, it has added some improvements since it was first released in August 2013. One of them is full HD video calls, if users at both ends of the chat have HD compatible displays and webcams. Microsoft has also included a plugin for Mac users who access their emails via the Safari web browser to use the Skype features.

( cue Jeopardy theme song ) Oh oh oh I know this one Alex... How do you retrofit spook capabilities into every computer that uses a Microsoft account. Yes! I'll take Computer Insecurity for $500, Alex. By the way, Paul Thurrott has a recent column describing the insanity of Windows 8 trying to force users into using Microsoft Account. I mentioned the increasing amounts of calls I have gotten since the holidays and this documents the fiasco. Don't get me wrong, Thurrott is still onboard with this kooky idea but he does show both sides, with lots of images. I think he might be hawking a new book or something. At least most of his commenters seem to understand the scale of this disaster.

Researchers announce they have bypassed Microsoft's EMET ( NeoWin 2014-02-25 )

Microsoft's Enhanced Mitigation Experience Toolkit (EMET) has been bypassed by a group of researchers at the Bromium Labs security firm, which means that hackers could also potentially learn how to circumvent the program in an attempt to install malware.

EMET is supposed to help with stopping malware and exploits on Windows PCs that have yet to be patched by Microsoft. However, the report from Bromium Labs claims they were able to bypass all of the protections that Microsoft has put into EMET 4.1, the most recent version of the program.

Microsoft releases technical preview of EMET 5.0 ( NeoWin 2014-02-26 )

Microsoft's release of the preview build of EMET 5.0 was timed to coincide with the annual RSA Conference this week. The application is supposed to help with stopping malware and exploits on Windows PCs that have yet to be patched by Microsoft. The 5.0 preview includes two new features to the program that will be put into the final version of the software. One of them is called Attack Surface Reduction, which is designed to fight off exploits caused by Java and Flash Player plug-ins. The other new feature is Export Address Table Filtering Plus, which adds some new capabilities to the existing EAF functions.

So, any chance that 'Attack Surface Reduction' will just pop up a message box suggesting the use of any alternative web browser other than MSIE? Probably not.

Wi-Fi-Hopping Malware Behaves Like Actual Virus ( Tom's Hardware 2014-03-03 )

This malware is sick: The experimental "Chameleon" malware spreads rapidly among Wi-Fi networks in densely populated areas, much as a disease spreads through crowded urban areas.

Developed in a laboratory at the University of Liverpool in England, Chameleon is the first malware known to propagate by hopping from one Wi-Fi network to another.

Kinda neat theoretical artificial intelligence in action here. Shades of skynet. As is mentioned in the article, it is actually a worm, not a malware at all, it does not enter the network and collects Wi-Fi passwords that it cracks. This one is definitely worth watching.

300,000 routers hijacked, modified in malicious attack ( TechSpot 2014-03-04 )

Attacks such as this are only possible thanks to vulnerabilities in the router's firmware. Team Cymru reports that most users affected by the attack reside in Vietnam, India and Italy - countries where ISPs likely supply affected routers - although some United States users were also hit.

( NOTE: THIS IS UNRELATED TO THE PREVIOUS ARTICLE ) Although they do not describe the process and simply and lazily blame the router firmware, you can bet that the actual means used was malware on the local PC manipulating the router settings using the retard facilities of uPnP. A router with uPnP and "easy setup" functions disabled and a password set can not be manipulated like this. These safe settings used to be defaults all around, but routers are being shipped with sheeple in mind, not to mention Windows itself is setting uPnP to enabled.

Facebook Scam Promising Naked Videos Infects Millions ( Tom's Hardware 2014-03-06 )

Clicking on the link leads you to a fake YouTube page so realistic that it even has an age gate, which claims the video's content is restricted due to YouTube's community guidelines. The age gate is easy to bypass, but once you get to the actual video, the page will claim Adobe Flash Player has crashed and you need to install an update.

Needless to say, you shouldn't install that fake Flash Player update. But it may be too late, because the malicious YouTube page will attempt to infect your browser with a drive-by download as soon as you land on it.

The downloaded Trojan installs itself as a browser extension, accesses your own Facebook photos and then repeats the infection process by promising your Facebook friends more naked videos -- this time, of you.

Good anti-virus software will block the drive-by download, but you might still be tricked into clicking the "Update Flash Player" button on the fraudulent YouTube player, which also triggers the infection.

Funny thing is, my browsers are rigged to never execute a program ( including any file downloaded ) like they say. Oh did I mention I don't use MSIE.

[Windows 8 - Deeper Impressions]

Posturing is a sign of weakness ...

Microsoft forming team to "win back" game developers with "modern" open source framework ( NeoWin 2014-03-02 )

The goal of Microsoft's new team is pretty straightforward; it wants to "win back our game developers from our competitors." The listing adds, "We will create a modern framework that is open source, light-weight, extensible and scalable across various platforms including Windows Store, Windows Phone, iOS and Android."

Wow, extensible you say? For everything including iOS and Android you say? What about Windows? You can't even be trusted to update DirectX without chopping off compatibility to previous Windows versions, so who on Earth would ever believe this nonsense now?

Rumor: Next DirectX API from Microsoft to allow for low-level access to hardware ( NeoWin 2014-03-02 )

Microsoft to unveil DirectX 12 at GDC ( TechSpot 2014-03-06 )

Microsoft Plans to Detail DirectX 12 at GDC 2014. Don't go shoveling dirt on DX12's grave ( Maximum PC 2014-03-06 )

DirectX 12 is incoming, is this a return to the API wars? ( PC Gamer 2014-03-07 )

The rumors have also been fueled by statements from the company of what it will talk about as part of the 2014 Game Developers Conference in mid-March. One of the sessions has this description:

"You asked us to bring you even closer to the metal and to do so on an unparalleled assortment of hardware. You also asked us for better tools so that you can squeeze every last drop of performance out of your PC, tablet, phone and console. Come learn our plans to deliver."

What they really meant to say was "closer to the bare metal" but only on hardware NOT disqualified through planned obsolescence. What is interesting here though is the fear of God moment they are experiencing from some real competition appearing lately from AMD and nVidia too. They are being attacked on every front now, and it is a direct consequence of them playing games at the expense of their customers all for the sake of reinforcing their monopoly. If you ask me, the company should be completely dismantled for these crimes, let the chips fall where they may, and let the other companies continue filling the gaps and take over. One cannot discuss these latest rumors and plans without remembering how we got here. It was a cynical and methodical plan to eliminate competition, even from themselves ( earlier Windows ), to be able to cash in on a captive market. I hope that AMD and nVidia stays clear of any possible agreement, or allegedly open framework that is proposed by Microsoft.

Microsoft hints DirectX 12 will also be supported by Xbox One ( NeoWin 2014-03-08 )

Irony alert: first NeoKid commenter asks: "So is this mean our DX11 cards will be also suported? " Now let that sink in for a second. Got it? NeoKid on Windows 8 with DX11 facing obsolescence. Sweet! Now let's think of all the XP users complaining about DX10/DX11, and what these same 'Tards had to say each time. The NeoKids have no chance of recognizing this cognitive dissonance, no chance at all.

Microsoft wants UK government to support both Open XML, ODF for documents ( NeoWin 2014-02-20 )

In response to the threat from governments switching away from Office to something more open ...

The company [Microsoft] added that a change to just supporting ODF will "increase costs, cause dissatisfaction amongst citizens and businesses, add complexity to the process of dealing with government and negatively impact some suppliers to government." The Standards Hub is currently accepting opinions from the public on the proposal on its website until Feb. 26.

Jeez, Microsoft is really scraping the bottom of the FUD bullcrap barrel to try to derail this sensible move. Picture the little Dutch boy plugging the increasing holes in the dike and running out of fingers.

[Windows 8 - Deeper Impressions]

The Strange and Unusual ...

Apple denies dead woman's family from using her iPad ( NeoWin 2014-03-07 )

So far the family has provided Apple with the death certificate, copy of the will and a solicitor's letter, but the company wants proof that Anthea was the owner of the iPad and iTunes account.

Very interesting case here. If the facts are reported correctly I would have to agree with Apple not giving them password, yet, not until proof of ownership is made ( is that even possible? ). Also interesting is the apparent fact that these things use some sort of foolproof encryption, something that Windows lacks by default unless the user opts in. If you needed to crack a Windows machine it is simple unless the owner intentionally applied NTFS encrypted files and folders ( or some 3rd party program ) but that is pretty rare, and it doesn't prevent bootup except in even rarer circumstances. This fact has not yet crossed the minds of the NeoKids though, most of them are too busy attacking Apple ( but in fairness a few others have shown some surprisingly good logic about this topic ).

Teenager killed himself after $700 bill for Xbox games on mother's credit card ( NeoWin 2014-02-27 )

the boy had racked up a bill of £420 GBP (around $700 USD) on his mothers credit card, purchasing games for his Xbox. He was said to be upset after being confronted by his mother, Eve, about the sizeable bill. She told the inquest that Henry was "genuinely stunned" by how much money he had spent on gaming purchases. He had even told his mother to take the money from his savings to make up for it.

Henry later spoke with his girlfriend on Facebook in a conversation that included discussion of Declan Gatenby - a 13-year-old friend who had hanged himself earlier in the year. After speaking with his girlfriend more about his situation, he told her on Facebook, Im going to kill myself. He immediately proceeded to do so, and his body was found minutes later.

This is so sad and it is not the first such case of this. Rather than blame Microsoft who are just the latest copycat jumping in to the credit-card-on-file marketplace and the equally infamous in-app or in-game purchases, we should be skewering this entire mindset of sheeple milking. They are ALL to blame. We prosecute and crucify drug-dealers for addicting and bleeding their so-called victims but turn a blind-eye to every d@mn online company who exploits their customers. Ordinarily it would be easy to chalk most of these cases up to much-needed social Darwinism, except for when it is a young child. God rest his soul. Can we blame the parents? Not a chance. Just try to opt-out of something easy these days, and now try to imagine computer illiterate parents navigating that mess. Not gonna happen. No, we inhabit a Brave New World now where common sense has gone bye-bye and credit card traps are everywhere and accidents are most likely counted on as a lucky benefit to the game or software owner. The sheeple will just have to live with it, mourn their losses and get back to consuming as soon as possible.

'Flappy Bird' might be released again, but may come with an addiction warning ( NeoWin 2014-03-11 )

Flappy Bird creator Dong Nguyen speaks, considers return to iOS and Android ( TechSpot 2014-03-12 )

In a new interview on Rolling Stone's website today, Nguyen said that he felt the game he had created was becoming too much of a distraction for a number of his players. He said he received emails from people who claim to have lost their jobs because they kept playing "Flappy Birds" so he decided to take it down. That hasn't stopped him from continuing to receive lots of money from people who keep playing the game ('Flappy Birds' is free but gets revenue from running in-app ads).

Meanwhile, Nguyen continues to develop new ideas for games, but says he is "considering" a relaunch of "Flappy Birds". He says that if the game ever does become available again, it will come with a warning: "Please take a break."

Further proof that Humanity Is Doomed © Jaclaz. If the kid is too believed then he has actually seen enough proof of sheeple becoming drooling Idiocracy future-worlders that he shut down new sales of the program ( affecting his conscience ). That's pretty amazing really, it suggests he knows of some really strange real-world cases that quite possibly exceed our own low opinions of the sheeple at large. It also implies that other popular authors probably have received similar feedback and chose to ignore it. Things that make you go "Hmmmm" indeed.

However, in the TechSpot article ...

But the biggest shock arrived when Nguyen decided to pull the game from the stores. His tweet "I am sorry 'Flappy Bird' users, 22 hours from now, I will take 'Flappy Bird' down. I cannot take this anymore" was retweeted more than 145,000 times, and the 10 million people downloaded the game in those 22 hours.

What motivated his move was messages and emails he received as feedback. He was heartbroken to learn that a mother stopped talking to her kids, people lost their jobs, kids broke their phones, and more. The simple fellow couldn't take the criticism and accusations, and pulled the game.

Nguyen said that he feels relieved after taking Flappy Bird down, and is not working on the next version. He also revealed that he is currently working on three new games -- a cowboy-themed shooter, an action chess game, and a vertical flying game, one of which he plans to release this month.

... this has to make you wonder if this was a very elaborate publicity stunt. That's a lot of downloads, and many more will follow after a re-release, and a huge launch is assured for the new games. Again, hmmmmmmm.

Microsoft trying to get politicians to pay for campaign ads on Xbox Live and Skype ( NeoWin 2014-03-07 )

The Xbox 360 and Xbox One consoles run interactive ad banners on their dashboards. This isn't new; that kind of activity has been going on for a while now. So far, most of them have been for products like cars or for movies. If Microsoft has its way, the near future could see your Xbox One dashboard turn into a political ad location, at least in the U.S.

The Washington Post reports that Microsoft representatives were passing out promotional materials this week at the annual CPAC conservative political conference in Washington DC. The documents were plugging Microsoft's Xbox Live, Skype and MSN services to current and potential candidates as a source for running campaign ads.

The materials stated that Microsoft could create a database of Xbox Live users that could be used as the basis for political ads that would show up in the dashboard of Xbox consoles. Presumably, the ads would be targeted at specific audiences and demographics; in other words, a person living in New York City would see ads for their local candidates while an L.A. resident would see a different set of political messages aimed at their districts.

There are no words to describe how angry I would be if I were using an Xbox and saw these things. It's bad enough when the phone answering machines are full of political calls during multiple periods of the year. I can't believe they would even consider this but I guess the Xbox'Tards have been conditioned to accept anything already so they'll probably not care.

Dell charges £16 TO INSTALL FIREFOX on PCs Mozilla is miffed ( UK Register 2014-03-05 )

Dell charging £16 to customers who opt for Firefox installs on new PCs ( NeoWin 2014-03-06 )

A reader of The Register contacted the site saying he was asked to fork out the money for the convenience. According to The Register, after their enquiries to Mozilla, sources at the company replied that they had launched a preliminary consultation with legal teams, but this process was at "an early stage."

[...]

While we know that OEMs are in the business of making money off bloatware that is usually preloaded on systems, this particular "service" probably takes the whole concept a little too far.

They should phone up Microsoft while they're at it, since they own a substantial piece of the newly private Dell. Hmmm, the NeoKids didn't think of that, now did they? Years ago I would have given them the benefit of the doubt, but now? I say give them an anal exam, I smell monopoly. Another thing the NeoKids didn't think of is what would happen if there was no price charge and they offered it for free? Ouch, their heads would spin like the Exorcist girl.

Facebook to buy drone maker Titan Aerospace for $60 million ( TechSpot 2014-03-04 )

How about no. Actually, on second thought it will be very entertaining to watch the drama unfold when the first one gets hijacked due to crappy Facebook software security and is used for blackmail by hackers right before they crash it into a choice target.

[Windows 8 - Deeper Impressions]

The Competition and related ...

Mozilla to launch $25 Firefox OS smartphones; OS coming to TVs, tablets ( NeoWin 2014-02-27 )

All of the devices seen running the OS so far have targeted the low end, and Mozilla clearly sees a massive opportunity in connecting the billions of people around the world who still have no access to the web.

But many of these people must survive on the very lowest incomes imaginable, and for some, a smartphone is a luxury that they simply cannot afford. Mozilla is targeting those who lie towards that end of the income spectrum, with plans in the works to launch a $25 smartphone.

OnePlus now says its 'world's best smartphone' will cost under $400 ( NeoWin 2014-02-27 )

Weve been following OnePlus closely since it announced last year that it planned to build a perfect smartphone at a disruptive price. Since then, weve heard a couple of minor details of its specs, and a few days ago, we even heard the first hint of how much we can expect it to cost.

Now, after declaring just five days ago that the companys first device will launch for under $500 off-contract, OnePlus says that its One device will in fact go on sale for under $400. Priced under $500 doesnt mean $499, OnePlus CEO Pete Lau said in a post on Google Plus. The OnePlus One will definitely be available for under $400.

Man, I just love these two stories. Both are possible disruptive game-changers, and neither are good news for Microsoft or even Apple. One attacks the high-end and the other the entry level with a massive recalibration of the current pricing structure of uber-overpriced crap made mostly in China and only sustainable due to crazy artificial pricing tricks between the carriers and the sheeple that snap them up. I hope they both prosper in their targeted markets. If that happens Microsoft will soon discover that they are way too late to enter this competition, the fat part of the profit curve has run its course and the party is over. Proof that these two stories are good news can be found in the comments of each article in the form of rabid spitting fanboys besides themselves with astonishment and anger over this possibly fatal competition.

Microsoft's latest TV ad takes a jab at Apple for not offering touchscreen Macs ( NeoWin 2014-03-01 )

Oh this will work very well. NOT. It's incredible that they are trying to outdo the old I'm A Mac ads. Do they not realize how easy it would be for Apple to skewer them and the Playskool fiasco in high profile ads on TV? This is like poking a stick at a tiger and hoping he doesn't turn around rip your face off. Apple has more cash on hand than the government and could literally purchase marketshare just by swamping the TV with primetime ads. Don't play with fire kids.

Nokia US makes fun of Samsung for "blurry" Oscar selfies ( NeoWin 2014-03-03 )

Another example of stupid all around. Some Hollywood actress tweets a picture from their crappy Oscar celebration, but the picture goes viral and becomes the most tweeted thing ever. Microsoft steps in and says ...

Let's do away with blurry photos, Ellen! | @TheEllenShow #Oscars #Blessed #blurry pic.twitter.com/56p0xQO2WV

Nokia USA (@NokiaUS) March 3, 2014

... which somehow makes sense to the decision makers in Redmond. Nevermind the fact that the actress used an Android ( Microsoft drawing attention to the fact that the world's most tweeted photo was a Samsung Galaxy ). The fact is that it was a pretty good photo and contains several big name Hollywood narcissists. The bad decision here is not anticipating that to the people in the image and to the millions circulating this photo the snarky MicroNokia comment will look absolutely petty and aggressive. But most importantly, who on earth thinks it is a good idea to attack the most tweeted picture in history as being blurry? How does that thought process get a greenlight? Now everyone will be looking for blurry Lumia photos. And yes, most of the NeoKids are cheering. BTW, here are the cash values of all the subjects in that photo ...

UPDATE: criticizing that photo might just cost them more than they expected since the thing indeed went viral: Ellen's Oscar Twitter post had over 32 million views, was seen by 8.1 million people. Possible variation of the Streisand Effect where instead of unintentionally drawing more publicity to an object they despise ( Android ), the person instead draws the angry attention of a mob against themselves. Think of a mouse in a room full of cats that decides it's a good idea to nibble on one of their tails.

How the iPad replaced the toy chest: Researchers find children play with touchscreens more than traditional toys. ( UK DailyMail 2014-02-21 )

The touchscreen has overtaken every other toy for children, new research has found.

The poll found more than 60% of parents claiming that their child uses a touchscreen.

They have overtaken dolls, action figures, board games and other traditional toys - and experts say their popularity is still rocketing.

Independent confirmation that touchscreens are attractive to children which kinda supports what that Softies was saying at Reddit. Hmmmm, but how can this be true? The MetroTards and MicroZealots have told us that touch is a productivity enhancer. It's the refined product of natural evolution of computer input. Stories like this one that reference "Children" and "Touch Screens" and Apple's "iPad" all in the same sentence just might cause the MetroTards to suffer one of those famous Star Trek logic bombs ( like when they defeated a hostile computer or robot by scrambling their logic by causing a programming conflict loop, e.g., the one with 'Lurch' who says: "Yes!, I remember now. The old ones!." etc ).

[Windows 8 - Deeper Impressions]

The Competition ...

Windows Phone remains fastest growing OS in Europe ( NeoWin 2014-02-24 )

Holy smoke, this subject gets more spin than a centrifuge. Every possible chance they get they beat the drum of Windows Phone growth. First of all, if you look at these articles they are using the term marketshare when describing 'shipping share', i.e., percentage of shipments. They do not want to know their actual share of handsets in use, trust me. Secondly, this is just smartphones, they do not want to add in the numbers for flip feature phones in the developing world. But even confining the picture to shipment share of smartphones, it is downright embarassing. Let's take a look ...

Smartphone SHIPMENT Share Nov 2013 - Jan 2014

------------- Germany --- UK ---- France --- Italy -- Spain --- China --- Japan - Australia --- USA

Android ...... 75.1 .... 55.2 .... 65.2 .... 67.3 .... 86.6 .... 54.8 .... 30.5 .... 57.7 .... 54.8

iOS .......... 16.2 .... 30.7 .... 22.2 .... 12.6 ..... 7.2 .... 38.9 .... 68.7 .... 35.1 .... 38.9

WP ............ 6.8 .... 11.3 ..... 9.6 .... 17.0 ..... 5.3 ..... 5.0 ..... 0.0 ..... 5.1 ..... 5.0

Blackberry .... 0.8 ..... 2.4 ..... 1.8 ..... 2.1 ..... 0.0 ..... 0.6 ..... 0.0 ..... 0.3 ..... 0.6

Other ......... 1.1 ..... 0.3 ..... 1.2 ..... 1.0 ..... 1.0 ..... 0.7 ..... 0.8 ..... 1.7 ..... 1.7

There is nothing there that could possibly be viewed as positive unless your only goal was to overtake Blackberry. The only thing I see in that chart that is favorable to WP is in Italy where it seems that the retailers are accepting more shipments of it than iPhones ( maybe Jaclaz can shed some light on this phenomenon? ). Seriously though, we have to remember that the chart label 'WP' really meant 'Nokia', which rightly had a very good reputation in Europe and elsewhere. The fanboys are mistaking good will for that brand for love of their stupid MicroToyz. What Microsoft needs to really worry about now is whether their assimilation of that company destroys it for Europe resulting in collapse of their so-called growth! In this context that earlier story about Microsoft pondering what to do with the 'Nokia' brand is truly an important question. Stay tuned for this one.

IDC: Smartphone annual growth to hit single digits by 2017; Windows Phone well equipped for the future ( NeoWin 2014-02-27 )

IDC Expects Smartphone Growth to Slow to Single Digits by 2017 ( Maximum PC 2014-02-27 )

Hardware makers are in a mad rush to cash in on the mobile craze, including smartphones, which are hot ticket items right now. However, growth in the smartphone sector won't always be astronomical, as has mostly been the case up to this point. Instead, market research firm International Data Corporation (IDC) predicts that smartphone growth will drop to single-digit territory within the next few years.

Oopsie. Late to the big party Microsoft, just in time to see saturation and a product replacement future. That's gotta hurt. And to make this wonderful plan of theirs a reality all it took was the sacrifice of their company cornerstone and the respect of its veteran customers and evangelists. Great plan!

Rumor: Ford could dump Microsoft for BlackBerry inside next version of Sync ( NeoWin 2014-02-23 )

Ford Is Dropping Microsoft's In-Car Software. Another problem for Windows. ( Thurrott 2014-02-25 )

Ford could be ready to make a major change for the next generation version of its Sync in-car computing system. Bloomberg reports that the company will use the QNX OS, owned by BlackBerry, as the basis for the next Sync, taking the place of the version of Windows that is being used in the current iteration of the technology.

Ford co-developed Sync with Microsoft and it made its début inside a few cars in 2007. It has since been put into seven million Ford vehicles. In 2012, Ford and Microsoft said they were already working on the version of Sync, code-named Evos.

However, Bloomberg reports, via unnamed sources, that Ford has seen owner satisfaction of its cars go down in the past few years and is looking to improve the quality of its vehicles. That includes its on-board technology, which is becoming more important for new car buyers. The story claims that using BlackBerry's QNX OS will improve Sync's speed and readability while also being less expensive than Microsoft's Windows. ONX is already being used inside cars made by BMW and Audi.

Problems with Sync are so bad that Ford's overall reliability ratings have plummeted in recent years. Ford at one point even mailed software updates on USB flash drives to its customers. However, Ford noted this week that the reliability issues with Sync and MyFord Touch are not the fault of Microsoft's underlying software platform, which is a version of Windows Embedded Automotive.

Just posting this for entertainment value really. "Dumping Microsoft" and "Switching to Blackberry" in the same sentence has really got to be painful. Note that the fanboys have now shifted to blaming Ford for the problems, saying they screwed up Microsoft's operating system. Well, what else would you expect them to say really.

PlayStation 4 worldwide sales have now exceeded 6 million units ( NeoWin 2014-03-04 )

It was just two weeks ago today that Sony announced that worldwide sales of its PlayStation 4 console had exceeded 5.3 million units since it launched in mid-November. Today, the company announced that over 6 million PS4 consoles have now been bought by consumers; Sony most likely got a big boost in PS4 sales thanks to its launch in Japan 10 days ago.

[...]

Microsoft has not offered an update on worldwide Xbox One sales since early January, when it announced that it has sold over 3 million units of its console since it launched November 22nd. Microsoft has yet to give any concrete details on when or where the Xbox One will expand its sales beyond its current 13 international markets. By contrast, the PS4 is currently on sale in over 50 countries and territories.

No surprise to anyone paying attention, except for members of the Xbox cult.

Google slashes Drive cloud storage pricing, now starting at $1.99/month for 100GB ( TechSpot 2014-03-13 )

Google Drive combats Microsoft's OneDrive with big price cuts, $9.99 a month for 1TB ( NeoWin 2014-03-13 )

Google on Thursday revealed significant price cuts for its Google Drive cloud storage and synchronization service. Effective immediately, each paid tier is now cheaper than it was yesterday which will no doubt put even more pressure on the competition.

[...]

How do Googles new prices compared to their rivals, you ask? A quick check at Dropbox reveals a 100GB plan sells for $9.99 while Microsoft charges $25 and $50 for 50GB and 100GB of storage, respectively. Of course, each service has its pros and cons to consider but at these new prices, itll be hard to pass over Google Drive for the value alone.

Ouch. Now how is Microsoft gonna compete with that? This is the problem with tossing all your eggs in one basket. Their cloud dreams can evaporate quickly. This is going to get very interesting.

[Windows 8 - Deeper Impressions]

Yet more sad news for the mobile MicroZealots ...

Microsoft announces 9 new Windows Phone hardware partners including LG, Lenovo ( NeoWin 2014-02-23 )

Contrary to the spin from NeoWin, these so-called nine new partners are far from impressive. They list: Foxconn, Lenovo, LG, ZTE, Gionee, Longcheer, JSR, Karbonn, Xolo. Yet as the next article demonstrates LG said 'screw this'. Microsoft offers five more of them simply as list padding, companies that are unknown at large and probably just interested in Microsoft's deep pockets.

LG: No plans in the near future for a new Windows Phone handset ( NeoWin 2014-02-23 )

Microsoft may have announced earlier today that LG is a "new" hardware developer for Windows Phone, but it looks like the Taiwan-based company has no plans to make handsets that use the OS any time in the near future.

[...]

LG launched two of the first Windows Phone 7 devices back in October 2010 with the LG Optimus 7, shown above, and LG Quantum. However, those phones did not sell well and LG has not released any new devices with the OS since then. A year ago, the company hinted that it would make new Windows Phone products if there was enough demand for them, with a spokesperson saying, "When there's a significant market for it, we will be on board." Today's statements make it sound like LG isn't quite ready to jump into the Windows Phone market yet.

You know that's really gotta tick off the 'Tards. What will they say about it? Oh that's easy: "they make crap anyway ... NOKIA, FTW!!".

Acer: We won't 'take a risk' on Windows Phone until apps, market share improve ( NeoWin 2014-02-28 )

Earlier this year, Microsoft announced that it had signed up nine new hardware partners to Windows Phone 8. Among various companies new to the platform, two manufacturers that had previously launched Windows Phone 7 devices are returning: LG and ZTE.

However, one brand to have offered Windows Phones before, but which is not returning to the OS, is Acer.

How dare they. Cry havok and let slip the FanDogs of NeoWin!

Nokia: BlackBerry BBM app coming to Lumia Windows Phones ( NeoWin 2014-02-24 )

And ironically this is now received by the MicroZealots as a GOOD thing which shows you what a difference a year makes. After one year of bashing all things Blackberry the 'Tards are now embracing anything that will keep their mobile dreams alive.

Windows Phone 8.1 custom Start Screen backgrounds images leaked ( NeoWin 2014-03-02 )

Windows Phone Italy posted up the screenshots, which were originally found on a Weibo account in China. As you can see, the Start Screen allows desktop wallpaper-like images to be placed in the background of the Start Screen. That's because the screen can be set to offer a transparent look, which allows for any image to be put behind the Live Tiles.

The image actually looks pretty cool because it's definitely something different. Using wallpaper in the foregorund ( forepaper? ) to skin the tiles is actually creative. So naturally the NeoKids hate it. Clearly they are afraid of change.

[Windows 8 - Deeper Impressions]

Sad news for the mobile MicroZealots to chew on ( 'Sleeping with the Enemy' edition )...

Nokia officially announces family of Nokia X Android smartphones (Update) ( NeoWin 2014-02-24 )

Nokia releases first official Nokia X videos; promises 'life in the fastlane' ( NeoWin 2014-02-24 )

EDITORIAL: Nokia and Android. What gives? ( NeoWin 2014-02-24 )

Microsoft: We are "pleased" Nokia X will offer our services ( NeoWin 2014-02-24 )

Nokia's plans for its first Android-based smartphone have been the talk of the Internet for several months but today the company finally confirmed plans to release such a device, the Nokia X, during its press conference today at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain. In fact it will launch three devices; the Nokia X, the Nokia X + and the Nokia XL

The poor Zealots are all over the map in the comments as yet another of their belief systems is shattered. Here's what one of the principal MicroTards has to say ...

"This. What I see is a "###### MS" move by Nokia."

Oh very intentionally. There has been the anti-MS group in Nokia, especially the developers that feel the partnership killed their OS, which was already dead.

This project was to replace the low end Asha devices originally, but with Microsoft taking over the mobile division, they pushed to get these out before the takeover, hoping that Microsoft would have obligation to sell them as a big F U.

This is also why they adhered to the Nokia/Microsoft agreements and the devices use and promote Skype/OneDrive/etc - so that Microsoft couldn't have stopped their production prior to take over.

An Android fan would be insane to buy these and WP fans aren't going to touch them either.

Microsoft announced yesterday they were ripping down the hardware restrictions on WP, so these lower end devices have no reason to not use WP8.1, as the hardware certification process has been removed with even wider driver support for additional Android catered chipsets, and even supporting lower memory and lower resolutions. Which leaves WP having an even lower hardware entry point than Android Kitkat.

The first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem yet I didn't see any mea culpa in that little speech. Ah well, carry on kids. Interestingly, MicroNokia appears to be trying to invent a way to produce an Android phone that won't sell by sabotaging the appearance with a pseudo-WP skin on a forked Android OS. If anyone can find a way to accomplish this ( creating an Android that does not sell ), it will be Microsoft

Now just to pre-empt the next fanboy talking point, the question is NOT whether Microsoft sells more Android phones than Samsung or anybody else. No, the question is whether Microsoft sells more Android phones than WP phones. So this sets up yet another great source of entertainment. In future quarters everyone will be looking at the phone market results and pitting Microsoft WP against Microsoft Android shipments. Can you imagine what will happen if Android comes out ahead in Microsoft phones! ( naturally this possibility is dependent on Microsoft not killing the phone as soon as they become owners of Nokia ).

Microsoft still undecided about using the Nokia brand ( NeoWin 2014-02-26 )

Now, a new report from CNET suggests that Microsoft is unsure whether it would use the Nokia brand at all, as Greg Sullivan, Director of Windows Phone, declined to confirm whether the brand will survive. The once iconic brand gave Windows Phone the much needed boost in markets which were traditionally ignored by Microsoft but now it seems that we may not see another Nokia phone unless the company re-enters the market in 2016 after certain terms of the deal between the two tech companies expire.

Wait wut?! Holy crap, Redmond could lose in a one-car race. Purchasing Nokia is at best a 50/50 chance of being a wash or total failure. They're not gaining anything of substance, just preserving the only real manufacturer of WP and guaranteeing its continuing existence. One could make the case that they should have just kept giving money to Nokia, or withdrawn from this market completely. When you examine what they actually bought it seems that only Nokia really came out ahead. They probably should have taken over Nokia completely and preserved the company as a subsidiary. I can see know way it actually adds any profit to MSFT for a very long time.

Xbox Live may be headed to iOS and Android games ( TechSpot 2014-03-04 )

Xbox Live game integration has been a major feature of Windows Phone since its launch in 2010, allowing users to unlock achievements, add to their gamerscore and play games with their friends right from their smartphone. However if a recent job posting is to go by, Microsoft may be looking to bring similar Xbox Live functionality to other platforms.

Sleeping with the enemy.

Could Microsoft's Internet Explorer head to Android? ( NeoWin 2014-03-04 )

According to Twitter user @dovellonsky, Microsoft could release a browser on Googles Android platform which is used by the majority of smartphone users in the world[

Technie News reports the project would be one of Microsofts biggest projects in the mobile app department by far. The rumoured app would join Internet Explorer's Xbox One version which was revealed in November last year.

More sleeping with the enemy! If you can't beat 'em, sleep with 'em.

BlackBerry 10 smartphone owners can now use Microsoft's OneDrive ( NeoWin 2014-03-05 )

Based on the app listing, Connect to Microsoft OneDrive appears to be published by BlackBerry and not by Microsoft. We have contacted Microsoft to see if this is indeed an officially supported OneDrive app. Update: Microsoft has indeed confirmed with us that the BlackBerry 10 app is indeed an official OneDrive app for the OS.

Even more Sleeping with the Enemy, which has got to anger the Zealots. Truth be told, in the comments they seem to approve of this move, perhaps believing it will expand use of the WP walled garden. Normally they are wishing for the death of Blackberry, but at this stage of the game with their 3% marketshare they apparently will take anything they can get. I like how NeoWin checked with Microsoft to make sure this was legal and all. I swear they act like unpaid employees.

[Windows 8 - Deeper Impressions]

Crazy Eddie edition ( continued ) ...

'Windows 8.1 update 1 with Bing' build leaks, raises questions ( NeoWin 2014-02-21 )

Report: 'Windows 8.1 with Bing' could be an experiment to offer Windows for free ( NeoWin 2014-02-27 )

Rumor: Microsoft May Offer Free Version of Windows 8.1 Bundled with Bing. Would you upgraded to Windows 8.1 if Microsoft gave the OS away for free? ( Maximum PC 2014-02-28 )

Microsoft contemplating free version of Windows 8.1 for Windows 7 users ( TechSpot 2014-02-28 )

Free Windows? Maybe. Windows 8.1 with Bing could be the way of the future ( Thurrott 2014-02-28 )

Microsoft Working on Free Version of Windows? ( Tom's Hardware 2014-03-01 )

Today, a new report on ZDNet from well connected journalist Mary Jo Foley claims, via unnamed sources, that Windows 8.1 with Bing is an experiment for Microsoft. She writes that while the actual SKU has only minor differences from the other versions of Windows 8.1, it could be a way for Microsoft to offer Bing-related incentives for either consumers or OEMs which could make Windows free in the future.

Nope. Not even for free.

In all seriousness though, this is another perfect example of Microsoft miscalculation. It is NOT the "desktop" Windows that needs to be made more econmical, it is the mobile versions. If classic Windows was available, one that did not insult the customer, it would sell itself. They are losing badly in mobile, even more badly now than when they first started down the Microsoft Tiles path. All they had to do was build a separate mobile version ( not screwing up classic Windows ) and make it free for a couple of years to gain marketshare. Instead they torpedoed the entire franchise, possibly forever. Great job geniuses.

Windows 8.1 with Bing Revealed. Cheap, not free ( Thurrott 2014-03-06 )

Windows 8.1 with Bing: Designed for low-cost devices, locks OEMs into Bing service ( NeoWin 2014-03-06 )

Leaked Documentation Sheds Light on Rumored Windows 8.1 with Bing Release ( Maximum PC 2014-03-07 )

I can report now that Windows 8.1 with Bing is nothing more than the low-cost version of Windows that Microsoft will offer to hardware makers that sell PCs for less than $250. And it comes with no restrictions for users at all.

With one difference: PC makers will not be able to change the default search engine using Microsoft or 3rd party deployment tools. So when a user who buys such a PC starts Internet Explorer, Bing will automatically be configured as the default Search Engine. And no other Internet Explorer defaults are changed. And, yes, the user can change the default search provider. Only the PC maker cannot.

The deal basically breaks down like this: In return for shipping PCs with Bing set as the default search providerand thus not entering into a crapware deal with Google or some other search providerPC makers can save money on Windows licensing.

You really gotta wonder what's in the water up there in Redmond. Oh sure, they have a small "share" of the mobile market and that seemingly absolves them of accusations of predatorial monopoly abuse, or does it? Microsoft has purposefully blurred the lines between their desktop and mobile products, and that was completely intentional. Now with that complete they seem to think they can slip this clearly problematic tactic ( forcing Bing into the OS ) into both mobile and the desktop arena. Now that Ballmer is gone I guess we have to consider this the first mistake for the new CEO, and a huge one at that, for sticking their feet right back into the anti-competitive waters. Even though our own DoJ has been asleep for a few years, this is a fresh topic in the EU and elsewhere. This is simply cuckoo.

Microsoft rumored to have plans for free OneNote for Mac ( NeoWin 2014-03-12 )

Microsoft is rumored to be planning an expansion of its OneNote software to new platforms as well as developers. A report on ZDNet claims, via unnamed sources, that Microsoft will release a free version of OneNote for Mac users, along with a stand alone version for the Windows desktop.

[...]

ZDNet also reports that Microsoft is planning to open up the OneNote API so that third party developers can create their own apps that incorporate the note taking software. This is apparently an attempt to expand the use of OneNote to be more competitive with other software, particularly Evernote.

Lot of anger in that thread where the fanboys are sniping at each other, probably because Microsoft has decided to first make this software available for the enemy Mac users - before releasing versions for their beloved Metro. Hehehe. The strangest thing though is that Microsoft seems to think Mac users even want this at all.

Microsoft announces Office 365 Personal for $6.99 a month or $69.99 a year ( NeoWin 2014-03-13 )

Microsoft is offering a new and cheaper way for home users to access Office 365. Today, the company announced Office 365 Personal, which gives the subscriber one PC/Mac license for Office plus one tablet, and charges the user $6.99 a month or $69.99 for a year.

The price is well below that of Microsoft's other Office consumer subscription plan, Office 365 Home Premium, which launched in January 2013 and costs $9.99 a month or $99.99 a year for installing the software suite on up to five PCs.

[...]

Office 365 Home Premium, which currently has over 3.5 million subscribers...

Hmmm, any idea why Microsoft is dropping prices on Office 364? Anyone? Bueller? Maybe that embarrassing total number of 3.5 million subscribers in well over a year. Seriously, that can't even be 1% of the total Office users, maybe even a third of a percent. Only one single NeoKid in the comments has figured this out.

[Windows 8 - Deeper Impressions]

Crazy Eddie edition: Prices so low they're practically giving it all away ...

Confirmed: Microsoft to cut the cost of Windows 8.1 for low-end devices ( NeoWin 2014-02-23 )

A few days back, it was stated that Microsoft would be slashing the price of Windows 8.1 for low end devices by up to 70%. The cut will lower the price of $50 per device to $15 for devices under $250 which will be a noticeable improvement for vendors and consumers, according to the previous report, and it appears that the information is accurate.

While Microsoft did not come forward and say We slashed prices by 70% the companys Joe Belfiore posted up on the Windows blog that Well enable our partners to build lower cost hardware for a great Windows experience at highly competitive price points. This clearly aligns to the previous report of the prices being cut on lower-end devices.

Unthinkable only a few years ago and impossible according to the fanboys, Microsoft once again admits defeat and slashes prices to make their ridiculous GUI somehow more attractive to anybody who still cares. All the fanboys were convinced that the Apple and Android lemmings ( in their view ) would come running to Microsoft Tiles. All throughout the beta period, and before, and after, they have lectured us on this yet we persevered and told them exactly what would happen. Now the inevitable has come to pass and still they cannot admit defeat and blame Android rather themselves. Meanwhile Apple has neither dropped prices nor made their OS's retarded and have transformed themselves into a constant in the universe - a high-end stable juggernaut of technology and money making. We warned the MicroZealots that burning both ends of the bridge can only result in crashing into the middle of the sea, and they did not listen. Enjoy the water 'Tards.

Microsoft drops Xbox One price to £399.99 in UK ( NeoWin 2014-02-24 )

Microsoft has announced it will soon slash the U.K. price of its recently released Xbox One console to £399.99, a cut of £30 that will leave it just £50 more expensive than Sony's PlayStation 4 in the country. No price drop has been announced for other markets.

Coming hot on the heels of massive drop-off of sales in the post-holiday period, this certainly must be just an unfortunate coincidence. There are so many things to wonder about. Remember how they parted out both consoles ( Sony and Microsoft ) and figured out they were just barely eeking out a few dollars profit per unit? So does this mean Microsoft has decided to officially lose money on Xbone? Also, since these devices are retailing for the same price used for that calculation ( $399 and $499 ), does this mean that both companies are already selling at a loss ( Sony/Microsoft to retailers ) since the retailers cannot possibly sell them for break-even and stay in business? It sure looks like the console market is a very questionable gamble for any manufacturer.

Windows and the Race to the Bottom. I don't mean to go off on a rant here, but... ( Thurrott 2014-02-25 )

Paul's take on all the pricing changes. He is now stealing our numerous "Apple-envy" comments from over the past few years here, realizing at last that Microsoft is operating out of a twisted emotional state of jealousy. How long before he figures out that he himself is an iTard but doesn't even know it?

Microsoft might be cutting Windows Phone license price to OEMs by 70 percent too ( NeoWin 2014-02-26 )

Microsoft reportedly offers Windows Phone OS for free to Indian OEMs ( TechSpot 2014-03-13 )

Microsoft Reportedly Testing Free Windows Phone Licenses in India ( Maximum PC 2014-03-13 )

Microsoft reportedly waives Windows Phone licensing fee for Indian OEMs ( NeoWin 2014-03-13 )

A few days ago, Microsoft confirmed (kind of) that it was drastically reducing the costs for OEMs to license Windows 8.1. Now there's a new rumor that the company could do the same for the Windows Phone license as well.

The report comes from PCMag.com, who quotes Joseph Ram, the CEO of the low cost Android phone maker Infosonics, as saying, "We're hearing Microsoft will drop the license fee quite a bit, as far as 70 percent, which will make their product more competitive in terms of price." He added that if this is true, Ram said that Infosonics would consider making Windows Phone devices. We have contacted Microsoft to see if they wish to comment on this report.

According to The Times of India, Microsoft has waived the Windows Phone license fee to two phone makers in India -- Lava and Karbonn. These companies already offer Android phones, and Microsoft hopes that by removing the Windows Phone license fee, they'll be able to offer some intriguing and affordable WP handsets as well.

One thing that's interesting about the deals reportedly being doled out by Microsoft is that they trump even what the software maker was willing to offer Nokia, which itself is believed to have paid between $20 to $30 for each Lumia device it sold.

Fanboy responses to the first story: 'Nah, it's just a coincidence. Nothing to see here, move along!' Fanboy responses to the later stories: 'Google's bad!' ( no really, that is their argument ).

[Windows 8 - Deeper Impressions]

'Spring Update' for Windows 8.1 announced ( NeoWin 2014-02-23 )

The update - which is referred to internally as 'Update 1' - adds a title bar to Modern apps, and the ability to pin them to the taskbar as well as currently running Modern apps being present on the taskbar with jumplist and in some cases media control support.

Yep, those keyboard/mouse user "improvements" plus more, including traditional context menus when right-clicking the mouse ( hehe ), a feature that has Dot MetroTard beside himself in the comments. Don't miss his/her latest nervous breakdown trying to force the Metro GUI down everyons's throats, even those without touchscreens, belying their traditional talking points about NOT just for touch. These little Microsoft baby steps backwards have exposed their true beliefs, which is 'my way or the highway'.

This theme is prevalent in the comments lately and in this generation as a whole. Witness another outburst after one adult commenter says he will not deploy the Playskool OS, to which the kids reply: "Long live the dictator. Hurray.", and another: "Happy I don't work in your shop.". This puts a highlight on the problem here. If I was that commenter I would have replied that the operative word here is "work". I don't purchase an operating system for your d@mn amusement, it's not meant to pay tribute to your religion, MicroZealot. This feeling of entitlement seen in the narcissistic 'Tard generation is a red flag - to employers. I would have said to the second commenter, 'you don't have to worry about working in my shop, I don't hire retards as a rule'. I would have screened him out at the interview process by showing him where he might be working and looking for comments about the hardware, software, and OS. Come in with an attitude of entitlement and you wouldn't get past the door. I was wondering just what would follow the pants hanging grunge loving generation of the 1990's to 2000's, and now we know, it is. Generation iTard and Generation MetroTard.

Poll: What should Microsoft name Windows 8.1 update 1? ( NeoWin 2014-02-28 )

Well if you ask me I would vote for "Windows 8.11" of course. But let's have a poll for new box art. Here's my idea ...

Microsoft accidentally leaks Windows 8.1 Update 1 early ( TechSpot 2014-03-07 )

You can download Windows 8.1 update 1 right now with a simple registry tweak %5BUpdate%5D ( NeoWin 2014-03-06 )

Microsoft won't be officially releasing Windows 8.1 Update 1 until after their BUILD conference in April, but late on Thursday the company accidentally leaked the update to the public. Eager users were able to make a small registry change that made the updates show up in Windows Update, or download it all through direct links to Microsoft's servers.

As with any leak or workaround like this, proceed with caution as you can bork your Windows install.

Update: Microsoft has plugged the registry tweak and removed the files from the known Microsoft server locations, but you can find the bits on MDL forums or just look through our comments.

Clown circus. I love in the second article the comedy that ensues when some NeoKids try to explain what a registry tweak is to other NeoKids. Since the target demographic Windows 8 are MetroMonkeys you have the surreal situation of walking them through the very minefield that normal people have been complaining about! So then, one guy made a REG script, even that is too hard for some of the monkeys. HeHeHe. I find this rather ironic. Anyway, once Microsoft finally blocked the files you get yet another irony with some kids asking others to put the files up somewhere! Oh my. That's like illegal dude. That's like doing the very crime you criticize others for dude ( their pompous bloviating about copyrights and anything that allegedly hurts Microsoft ). So many wonderful ironies and so little time to enjoy them all.

Microsoft Ad Disses Mac for Lacking Touch, Gets Called Sexist ( Maximum PC 2014-03-05 )

Microsoft has come under fire for a new advertisement promoting Windows systems over those inferior Macs that lack touchscreens. Short and to the point, the ad says Macs suck for planning weddings because you can't tap the display. Well, you can tap the display, but nothing will happen, and somehow that will hinder a woman's ability to plan out her wedding. Oh yes, did we mention? Microsoft's ad for a touch-friendly all-in-one PC running Windows 8 is targeted at women, and the way it goes about it, some are crying foul.

Let's first address the easier, less controversial topic, that being how Macs are inept wedding planners. Hey, we love our Windows rig just as much as the next guy, but it surely seems Microsoft missed the mark with this criticism. Assuming the lack of touch support really would hinder one's ability to pick out a wedding dress or tuxedo, couldn't a person just pick up an iPad or an Android tablet? Or use their smartphone?

Whatever, it is what it is, and this wouldn't be the first time Microsoft put out an ad with questionable content. However, it's also not the first to elicit claims of sexism. Just a few months ago, Microsoft made available custom letter templates publicizing the Xbox One console. The letters were supposed to be a fun and humorous way for guys to convince their girlfriends or wives they need an Xbox One, though phrases like "You'd rather knit than watch me slay zombies, but hear me out on this" didn't sit well with female gamers.

Microsoft is becoming The Born Loser of technology. The Clark W. Griswold of computing.

[Windows 8 - Deeper Impressions]

Chaos in the MicroVerse ( continued ) ...

Former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer would like a 'redo' for company's phone efforts ( NeoWin 2014-03-04 )

Ballmer indicated he might want to use a time machine to go back and make some different decisions.

In his first public appearance since leaving the CEO gig, Ballmer told a group of students at Oxford's Said Business School that he had a few regrets while he was leader at Microsoft.

"If you look at things in the last 10 years, it's probably fair to say there are things that did not go as well as we intended them to," he said. "We would have a stronger position in the phone market today, for example, if I could redo last the 10 years."

I predict we're gonna see those billboards along our highways soon with Ballmer's fat head and the caption: "You miss me yet!". The NeoKid article author actually says this: "Ballmer made the decision to ditch the older Windows Mobile operating system for Windows Phone in 2010, which has been far more successful for Microsoft." Say what? There's that living in the bubble again. Best comment has to be: "Ballmer is the OJ Simpson of the tech world, an almost heroic past until he murdered windows." :

Gates, Nadella, Bates reportedly opposed Microsoft's acquisition of Nokia smartphone unit at first ( NeoWin 2014-03-05 )

Steve Ballmer shouted at board members and threatened to resign over Nokia deal ( TechSpot 2014-03-06 )

Last year, Ballmer proposed the acquisition of Nokia's Devices and Services unit. The board was not only reluctant to move into hardware, they also found the deal quite expensive. Despite of the opposition from many top executives, he wanted to have his way, and tried hard for it. At a board meeting held in June, he even shouted and threatened to resign. He was so loud that his shouts could be heard outside the conference room.

Later, he got most of what he wanted, when the board agreed to a $7.2 billion purchase of Nokias mobile phone business. Although he was deeply hurt that Gates didn't back him. Bloomberg's sources claim the directors were frustrated by Ballmer's tendency to talk more than listen, and his reaction to the pushback on Nokia was for some the last straw.

Ballmer had also appointed Penn and Tami Reller as joint in charge of marketing aspects, a move that didn't go down well with Reller, who later asked Ballmer to choose between them. Reller is now leaving Microsoft, and will be replaced by Chris Capossela.

Penn and Reller! Crazy! You couldn't write this stuff. I imagine a lot of Nokia fans around the world really wish they refused him and Ballmer had walked. Microsoft would have more cash in the bank and Nokia would still be alive, albeit selling both WP and Android, but alive nonetheless.

Microsoft reportedly searching for ad agency for new broad marketing strategy ( NeoWin 2014-03-10 )

Microsoft has released its fair share of ad campaigns in the last few years, from the dancers in the first Surface TV commercials to the most recent "Honestly" series. Now the company is reportedly launching an overhaul of its marketing strategy, and that also means it is taking proposals and bids from ad agencies, all of whom would love to have a piece of Microsoft's large marketing budget.

Well we sure identified that dance thing before anybody else didn't we? The fanboys still can't understand that one though. Still, they promote Mark Penn and then fire the advertisers? That's the plan?

Microsoft adds ValueAct Capital president Mason Morfit to its board of directors ( NeoWin 2014-03-12 )

Microsoft continues to make major changes in both its executive team and its board of directors. Today, the company announced that ValueAct Capital president Mason Morfit has been added as a member of its board, increasing the number of members to 11.

Today's announcement was expected as ValueAct bought a $2 billion stake in Microsoft about a year ago, with rumors that the investment firm wanted to stir the pot in order to make some changes at the company. Since then, Microsoft announced a major reorganization, followed by the resignation announcement of its CEO Steve Ballmer. In September, Microsoft officially invited Morfit to join the board.

Dear fanboys ... run along and put some ice on it before it swells.

Interview: We chat with VideoLAN's President about the future of the Windows 8 VLC app ( NeoWin 2014-03-12 )

Has Microsoft offered any extra development support for the VLC app?

Once again, mixed feelings. Some people of Microsoft have been AMAZINGLY helpful and supportive, mostly engineers. I'm not sure I'm allowed to name them, though... But, at the same time, managers, and notably Microsoft France, have promised a lot of help and did not give anything, not even one surface RT... We've been bounced through Microsoft divisions, hopelessly... There is a very notable exception, from Microsoft Canada! that helped us in numerous ways!

Dysfunction within Microsoft, one of their worst kept secrets. Lumbering along like a brontosaurus just waiting for that asteroid. Any time now.

[Windows 8 - Deeper Impressions]

Chaos in the MicroVerse ...

Julie Larson-Green Exits Microsoft's Devices Business. The last of the Sinofsky era moves along. ( Thurrott 2014-02-25 )

Microsoft Devices and Studios leader Julie Larson-Green moving to new role in company ( NeoWin 2014-02-25 )

Larson-Green follows at least one other Sinofsky acolyte, former Windows user experience lead Jensen Harris, to Microsoft's Applications and Services Group (ASG), itself a mysterious amalgamation of parts of the firm that were scattered during the recent reorganization. Depending on whom you ask at the company, ASG is either Microsoft's version of Siberia or a startup-like organization within the firm that will drive future cross-product innovations.

[...]

Almost immediately after the disastrous release of Windows 8, Sinofsky surprised everyone - including Larson-Green, as it turns outand suddenly left Microsoft. In the wake of his exit, virtually every member of his core leadership team has either left Microsoft as well or moved on to other parts of the company.

Yeah, and he sure surprised you too Paul, you and all your alleged inside sources are still very quiet about this. Anyway, the purge is pretty much complete now. Very little wiggle room for the fanboys to tell us it's all coincidence and not due to the Windows 8 debacle. It's starting to look like a vengeful God at passover wiping out the first born team responsible for the mess. Paul's got a few other articles up too ...


Microsoft's Larson-Green on Windows 8: There are 'things I would think about doing differently' ( NeoWin 2014-02-26 )

She worked closely with Steven Sinofsky on the OS and briefly lead the Windows division when he departed just after Windows 8 shipped in 2012. In today's interview, Larson-Green seems to realize that the massive shift from the desktop-oriented Windows 7 to the touchscreen-based Windows 8 could have been handled better. She states:

"Change is super hard. Theres definitely things I would think about doing differently to ease that transition. I think change was needed. I dont know that building just another Windows 7 would have been helpful."

Did she really say "Super Hard" Note, I did mean in the Microsoft lingo "Super" sense, pioneered by Gates, Ballmer, and Sinofsky in countless speeches. There really is a hardcore mindset at work there, a true bubble. Anyway, the ribbon girl is stuck on stupid, as is anyone who could still say: "I dont know that building just another Windows 7 would have been helpful." If that is the mindset of the entire team then Microsoft is screwed. This would be like Charmin no longer making toilet paper, or maybe making NuToilet Paper from plastic or sandpaper. Who dismisses and tosses away their world famous cash cow like that? What a complete bunch of clowns this team is. It boggles the mind.

The comments are once again plumbing the depths of crazyland. The kids are also stuck on stupid. Dot MetroTard: "You guys can argue all you want, but change was needed. Microsoft was in a bind with Windows whether you want to admit it or not." Yes, change from sitting on top of the world, at the pinnacle of the computer universe. Well you got your change. Like I said, Charmin Sandpaper. Tagline: "You'll get used to it once you use it a few times". Good call! Dot MetroTard even adds: "Metro has been on Windows since 2004, and no one complained, so why do you have issues with it now?" and later clarifies: "The design language that has become Metro was introduced in Windows Media Center." This shows that he is perfectly qualified to work at NuMicrosoft. MCE is a prime example of the correct implementation, a modular add-on that exists as an icon and runs in a Window without screwing up the entire operating system in the process. That *is* what they should have done, we have stated this for years here. The entire comment thread is littered with comments like this that are two inches away from the truth yet it still escapes them. Disrupting the classic interface was suicide, period. Not even offering the classic interface as a theme was salt in the wounds. Removing the Start Menu and Aero was further insult. These facts make liars out of the lot of them. All these machinations was not about adding a Media Center like extension, it was about hijacking the customers in the OEM channel into a walled garden. The company should be broken up for this crime.

This would be a fine thread for someone to post that comment from the Softie describing the Playskool interface as being for retards. All the kids seem to have already forgotten it from two weeks ago.


Microsoft Shakeup: Tony Bates and Tami Reller to leave the company ( NeoWin 2014-03-02 )

Microsoft confirms Tony Bates and Tami Reller are leaving the company, Penn gets a new title ( NeoWin 2014-03-03 )

Microsoft's "Scroogled" creator Mark Penn may become its chief strategy officer ( NeoWin 2014-03-03 )

Top Microsoft execs Bates and Reller are leaving the company after CEO change ( TechSpot 2014-03-04 )

The departure of Bates is somewhat unexpected as he was a leading contender for the CEO role after Ballmer announced his retirement. According to many reports, Bates was in the running for CEO but obviously did not get the spot and this could be the reason for his exit. Reller, on the other hand, was expected to potentially depart after growing tensions at the top of her org chart.

Bates is reported to be leaving immediately and Eric Rudder will take on his responsibilities and Mark Penn will take over Reller's duties. It was Mark Penn who reportedly perturbed Reller and that may have lead to her leaving the company.

And the bloodbath continues. Everyone connected with Sinofsky and Windows 8 is getting the Godfather treatment ( the only question is if there is a Tom Hagen character asking Michael if he "wants to kill everybody" ). It looks like they are promoting their Luca Brasi wannabe, the schmuck called Mark Penn who has no business being involved with any company listed on the NYSE since he ill serves their shareholders just by breathing. But I guess giving politicians a sweetheart job to buy influence is considered standard operating procedure these days and they all do it to some degree. Good, it gives us even more reason to detest you all. When these so-called tech companies wonder why they receive so much vitriol they can blame themselves for wasting time and money playing these stupid games and employing dirtbags.

But wait, there's so much more! Over at NeoWin the self-proclaimed 'unprofessional journalism' continues with two simultaneous controversies starting in the first article ( Brad Sams naturally ). It seems he got something wrong and stealth edited it again ( and moderated some referencing comments ) leaving everyone wondering what occurred. That's typical over there, altered stories without any explanation or footnote ( just how they managed to do that with IPB is unknown since to my knowledge it logs all changes ) ... Then, there is a second controversy from moderators banning and removing comments linking this latest article about the bloodbath to the larger Windows 8 fiasco. That's right, they actually are steering the commentary through censorship, yanking comments, and though it's hard to tell it appears Dot MetroTard is involved in some fashion, perhaps by reporting comments that point out the obvious which he/she is too thick to understand. What the heck is going on Steven? After all these years you still haven't grown any integrity or any self-respect?


Nadella Confirms Microsoft Leadership Changes, Hints at Reasons. Honestly, Reller just got Scroogled ( Thurrott 2014-03-04 )

"Mark [Penn] brings a blend of data analysis and creativity that has led to new ways of working and strong market outcomes such as the 'Honestly' campaign and the Super Bowl ad, both of which were widely cited as examples of high-impact advertising across the industry," he explains in the memo. "His focus on using data to quickly evaluate and evolve our campaigns has driven new insights and understanding ... I am looking forward to applying Mark's unique skill set across a broader set of challenges facing the company, from new product ideas to helping shape the overall areas of strategic investment. He will be a member of and an advisor to the [senior Leadership Team] and will continue to report to me."

Translation: Penn is in, Reller is out. After assisting in the transition, Reller "will then take time off and pursue other interests outside the company," Nadella explains. "I look forward to seeing what she does next." It just won't be at Microsoft.

That is one bad egg there. great job billg! You're really hitting them out of the park. And by making him war time consigliere ( but not a Sicilian ) he reports right to the top leaving the CEO and board with no-one else to point fingers at when he detonates and causes a catastrophe.