Microsoft CEO: 350 million Windows 7 devices to be sold this year; 500 million Windows 8 devices by end of 2013

According to a report from Bloomberg, Microsoft chief executive officer (CEO) Steve Ballmer made a statement where he claims about 350 million Windows 7 devices will be sold by the end of this year. The number shows Ballmer's and Microsoft's confidence in their desktop platform, which will be celebrating its third birthday in October of this year. If this sales number holds to be true, Windows 7 will be the "most single popular system" on the market, according to Ballmer.

In addition, according to a report from AFP, Ballmer also believes that Microsoft's next desktop platform, Windows 8, will sell up to 500 million devices by the end of 2013. The OS, which is expected to be released by the end of this year, completely overhauls the Windows desktop environment in favor of Microsoft's "Metro UI."

Google Chrome surpasses Internet Explorer as world’s most popular web browser

According to new data released by StatCounter this morning, Google Chrome has surpassed Internet Explorer as the world's most popular web browser (in terms of usage), a spot Microsoft's browser has held every week of the year since 1998. IE has been on a steady decline over the past several years, with web browsers such as Chrome and Firefox taking up market share left behind.

According to the data, Chrome now holds a 32.76% market share worldwide, while Internet Explorer controls 31.94%. In a distant third is Mozilla Firefox at 25.47%.

Microsoft publicly launches So.cl social network

Earlier this evening, Microsoft publicly launched its "research" social network dubbed "So.cl." Interested users are able to sign up using a Windows Live ID or a Facebook account. Microsoft launched So.cl as an experimental social network with students at the University of Washington, Syracuse University, and New York University. It is geared towards students and allows users to follow people, subscribe to groups, watch videos, and post messages.

Some Motorola Mobility devices banned from import into U.S. following ITC ruling

The United States International Trade Commission (ITC) announced (PDF) a ruling last week that bans the import of certain Motorola Mobility devices into the United States following the company being found of infringing upon a Microsoft-owned patent. The patent in question deals with "generating meeting requests and group scheduling from a mobile device." The ban will likely go into effect within the next 60 days, unless Motorola Mobility is able to address the issue quickly. Affected devices include the Motorola Droid RAZR, the Motorola Droid 4, and the Motorola Droid Bionic.

Microsoft unveils “most significant” update to Bing in history

Today, Microsoft took the wraps off of what it is calling the "most significant" update to the search engine Bing since the service launched three years ago. The company has integrated social features into a new three column design that allows for interacting with friends on social networks, such as Facebook, while searching. The right sidebar displays social activity related to the specific search, while the two left columns display actual search results and extended information.

The new Bing should be rolling out the world sometime in the coming weeks.

Microsoft unveils $99 4 GB Xbox 360 + Kinect promotion

Today, Microsoft launched a promotion that offers customers a 4 GB Xbox 360 with Kinect for $99. Customers, however, must sign up for two (2) years of Xbox LIVE at $14.99/month and if the customer breaks the contract, he/she will be subject to early termination fees. The deal is very similar to what has been used in the mobile phone industry for years now - a cheaper product by signing a contract.

The promotion is currently being offered only at Microsoft Stores, but may expand to other venues in the future.

Bing receives design refresh with stripped down search results

Today, Microsoft announced that it has rolled out a new look for its search engine Bing. The company has simplified search results pages on the search engine that sports smaller navigation links and a simple, white background color.

Bing is getting a new look. Starting today you will notice a fresh, de-cluttered experience designed to help you find the results you want faster. Over the past few months, we’ve run dozens of experiments to determine how you read our pages to deliver the link you’re looking for. Based on that feedback, we’ve tuned the site to make the entire page easier to scan, removing unnecessary distractions, and making the overall experience more predictable and useful. This refreshed design helps you do more with search—and gives us a canvas for bringing future innovation to you.

In addition, Microsoft has begun testing a design tweak on Bing's homepage: a larger version of the daily image. While not available to everyone just yet, Microsoft is asking users who come across the change to give their feedback.

Microsoft announces improvements to Windows Phone Marketplace

Yesterday, Microsoft outlined a number of changes on The Windows Phone Developer Blog that it plans to make to the Windows Phone Marketplace as an attempt to improve the mobile app market. The major changes are detailed below:

• Trademarks - Microsoft is asking developers to be more aware of any possible trademark violations in their apps. The company will be stricter on app names, developer names, and feature names in apps from this point on in order to avoid future violations and complaints
• App Icons and Categories - Microsoft will begin removing apps that are placed in multiple categories by developers. In addition, the company reminds developers with multiple apps to make sure the icons/logos of the apps are differentiable and don't have the same design
• App Keywords - Microsoft will begin enforcing its five-keywords-per-app rule. Any developer who exceeds the five keyword limit will have the app removed. This applies to all current and future Marketplace submissions
• The final change also deals with presentability. Apps should function and look good, and refrain from using any racy images

Microsoft invests $300 million into Barnes and Noble partnership

Microsoft and Barnes and Noble announced today that Microsoft will be investing $300 million in a new Barnes and Noble subsidiary, dubbed "Newco" for the time being. The subsidiary will be focused around Barnes and Noble's Nook e-reader and college business, and as a result of the investment, Microsoft will receive a 17.6% stake in the partnership.

Barnes & Noble Inc. (NYSE: BKS) and Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) today announced the formation of a strategic partnership in a new Barnes & Noble subsidiary, which will build upon the history of strong innovation in digital reading technologies from both companies. The partnership will accelerate the transition to e-reading, which is revolutionizing the way people consume, create, share and enjoy digital content.

The new subsidiary, referred to in this release as Newco, will bring together the digital and College businesses of Barnes & Noble. Microsoft will make a $300 million investment in Newco at a post-money valuation of $1.7 billion in exchange for an approximately 17.6% equity stake. Barnes & Noble will own approximately 82.4% of the new subsidiary, which will have an ongoing relationship with the company’s retail stores. Barnes & Noble has not yet decided on the name of Newco.

Kaspersky: Apple is “ten years behind Microsoft in terms of security”

Speaking at the Info Security 2012 conference, Kaspersky Lab founder and CEO Eugene Kaspersky stated to CBR that he believes Apple is  "ten years behind Microsoft in terms of security." He continues on by saying that, while Windows is still a hacker's favorite, Mac OS X malware and attacks are growing rapidly, something that was "just a question of time and market share." Kaspersky also states that, if Apple wants to keep its users safe in the near future, it will be forced to change update cycles for security patches.

This news comes just weeks after Apple's OS X platform was hit by two high-profile malware attacks, Flashback and SapPub. Apple has often prided itself on having a much securer environment than Windows, but it seems possible this is quickly changing.

Windows 8 “Release Preview” coming first week of June

Yesterday, Microsoft announced at the "Windows 8 Developer Days" conference currently taking place in Japan that a "release preview" build of its upcoming Windows 8 operating system will be released to the public sometime in the first week of June. The release will come about four months after Microsoft seeded the "consumer preview" version of Windows 8 to the public. At this time, no known changes in the new release have been announced, nor are there any rumors.

It should be interesting to note that, as seen in the picture above, Microsoft is still using the old Windows logo (flag-style) in presentations, despite the company unveiling Windows 8's new logo (looking more like an actual window) earlier this year. Microsoft has already commented on the matter, stating that it was a mistake and the new logo should have been included.

The final version of Windows 8 is expected to be released before the end of this year.

Pingdom: Google Chrome 18 is the world’s most popular browser

According to data released by analytics company Pingdom, Google Chrome 18 is the world's most popular Web browser, sporting a 25.6% market share. In a distant second place is Firefox 11 with 15.8% market share, followed by Internet Explorer 9 and 8 with 15.7% and 14.6% market shares, respectively. When all Internet Explorer versions are combined, Microsoft continues to hold the world's most popular browser title.

In North America, Internet Explorer 9 holds the crown as the most popular browser with 21.2% market share, closely followed by Chrome 18 with 20.2%.

Microsoft announces overhauled SkyDrive service

Earlier today, Microsoft announced a number of changes to its SkyDrive cloud storage service that it has been building alongside Windows 8, which is set for release sometime later this year. The Redmond-based company revealed that the new SkyDrive will be integrated directly into the Windows Explorer and OS X's Finder, as well as mobile platforms such as the iPhone, iPad, and Windows Phone.

Microsoft also made changes to the amount of storage users receive. New users will get 7 GB of free cloud storage space, down from the previous 25 GB offered. Other plans include:

• 20GB for $10/year
• 50GB for $25/year
• 100GB for $50/year

Official Skype for Windows Phone app released

Following a beta version being released earlier this year, Skype has officially launched its app for the Windows Phone platform today (download link). The app will allow Windows Phone users to communicate through text, audio, and video with other Skype users on any platform, including iOS and Android.

The app has been guaranteed to work on the following devices, and will require at least Windows Phone 7.5 (a.k.a. "Tango") to work:

• Nokia Lumia 710
• Nokia Lumia 800
• Nokia Lumia 900
• HTC Titan
• HTC Radar
• Samsung Focus S
• Samsung Focus Flash

Facebook and Microsoft agree to $550 million patent acquisition

Microsoft and Facebook jointly announced today that the software giant will be selling 650 patents that it recently acquired from AOL to the world's largest social network in a deal worth $550 million. Microsoft will be licensing the 650 patents, and will continue to hold control of the remaining 275 that came from the original deal with AOL.

“Today’s agreement with Facebook enables us to recoup over half of our costs while achieving our goals from the AOL auction,” said Brad Smith, executive vice president and general counsel, Microsoft. “As we said earlier this month, we had submitted the winning AOL bid in order to obtain a durable license to the full AOL portfolio and ownership of certain patents that complement our existing portfolio.”

“Today’s agreement with Microsoft represents an important acquisition for Facebook,” said Ted Ullyot, general counsel, Facebook. “This is another significant step in our ongoing process of building an intellectual property portfolio to protect Facebook’s interests over the long term.”

Microsoft looking for developers to help create Skype software on Xbox

A new job listing on Microsoft's website has revealed that the company may be looking for a team of developers that can help assist in building Skype software for the Xbox, something that many gamers have been waiting for since Microsoft's acquisition of the company last year.

Skype is seeking a motivated Software Engineer with an unrelenting drive for working on and solving customer-based issues. As a member of the Skype Xbox Engineering Team in London, you will have a strong technical background developing client and/or embedded software. Success in this role will likely be driven by your technical understanding, passion for shipping product, a user focus and an Agile approach to software development. The ideal candidate loves software and has a passion for writing code that addresses real customer issues and needs.

Microsoft reports record Q3 financial results – revenue of $17.41 billion

Today, Microsoft reported its financial results for Q3, announcing a revenue of $17.41 billion and an operating income of $6.37 billion, up 12% year-over-year.

Financial results broke down to the following:

• Server & Tools Division - $4.57 billion revenue
• Microsoft Business Division - $5.81 billion revenue
• Windows and Windows Live Division - $4.62 billion revenue
• Online Services Division - $707 million revenue
• Entertainment & Devices Division - $1.62 billion (down 16% from prior quarter)

“We’re driving toward exciting launches across the entire company, while delivering strong financial results,” said Steve Ballmer, chief executive officer at Microsoft. “With the upcoming release of new Windows 8 PCs and tablets, the next version of Office, and a wide array of products and services for the enterprise and consumers, we will be delivering exceptional value to all our customers in the year ahead.”

Microsoft announces “Halo 4″ – to be released on November 6

Yesterday, Microsoft announced the next title in the popular "Halo" series of video games, "Halo 4." Set to be released to the general public on November 6, 2012, Halo 4 will take place four (4) years after the events of Halo 3, where Master Chief returns to confront his destiny and face an ancient evil that threatens the fate of the entire universe.

“We are beginning a new saga with ‘Halo 4′ and embarking on a journey that will encompass the next decade of ‘Halo’ games and experiences,” said Phil Spencer, corporate vice president of Microsoft Studios. “Millions of fans worldwide have been eagerly awaiting the opportunity to step back into the boots of Master Chief, and, with ‘Halo 4′ leading the charge, we’re confident 2012 will be the most successful year in Xbox history.”

Report: Microsoft considering to sell Bing to Facebook in exchange for stock

According to a report from Barrons, Microsoft may be considering to sell off its Bing search engine to Facebook in exchange for stock and partial ownership of the world's largest social network. A report came out last month that Facebook is developing an improved search engine for the social network, but any selling of Bing would occur after the company goes public later this year.

Microsoft currently owns a 1.6% stake in Facebook. The Redmond-based company would presumably continue to earn at least some revenue from Bing if it is sold to Facebook.

“If we asked ourselves why is Microsoft in the search business to begin with, it’s because they want to keep Google from having such monopoly power [in search] that they can use the resultant profit to making forays into Microsoft’s domain,” including things such as Google’s “Chrome” operating system and Android smartphone software.

Microsoft extends Office 2007 mainstream support period

Microsoft has extended the mainstream support period for the Office 2007 productivity suite from the originally planned date of April 9, 2012 to October 9 of this year. As a result, the extended support period for the software has been extended by six months and one day. At that time, Microsoft will continue to release security updates to Office 2007 users, but non-security patches will be able to be acquired for a fee.

Microsoft is urging all of its users to update to the Office 2010 suite as soon as possible.