Windows Vista mainstream support ends today, extended support until 2017

As noted by Microsoft's Support page on the topic, mainstream support for Windows Vista ends today, April 10, 2012. This includes the following variants of the OS as well:

• Business
• Enterprise
• Home Basic
• Home Premium
• Starter
• Ultimate

Ending mainstream support means that Microsoft will no longer be providing free support to Windows Vista customers. The extended support time period, however, will allow those customers to continue receiving security updates and patches. This also means that Microsoft has the right to charge for any non-security related patches if the user would like to install them.

Windows Vista was launched back in January 2007. Extended support for Vista runs until April 11, 2017.

Microsoft acquires 800 patents from AOL for $1 billion

AOL announced today that it has reached an agreement with Microsoft where the software giant will acquire more than 800 patents from AOL in a deal worth $1.056 billion. Microsoft will also be licensing more than 300 additional patents from AOL as part of the deal.

Following the sale, AOL will continue to hold a significant patent portfolio of over 300 patents and patent applications spanning core and strategic technologies, including advertising, search, content generation/management, social networking, mapping, multimedia/streaming, and security among others. AOL also received a license to the patents being sold to Microsoft.

The transaction is expected to be completed by the end of 2012, pending approvals.

Microsoft announces special edition Xbox 360 Chrome Series controllers

Announced via the Major Nelson blog today, Microsoft has launched a special edition series of Xbox 360 Chrome wireless controllers. The wireless controllers will be available in blue, red, and silver finishes, and sport a transforming D-pad. They will be available beginning sometime in May for $54.99.

You've got to admit, they look pretty sweet!

Yahoo looking to end search deal with Microsoft eight years early

According to a report from All Things D, Yahoo today held a major "offsite" meeting with top executives to discuss the future of the struggling Internet company. Talks reportedly included significant employee layoffs, selling off divisions to other companies, and possibly even ending Yahoo's search deal with Microsoft.

Back in December of 2009, Microsoft and Yahoo entered an agreement that would allow Microsoft to control the core of Yahoo's search tool using Bing. The deal is set to last ten (10) years, but Yahoo is apparently looking into taking Microsoft out of the equation much earlier than that.

Yahoo is reportedly discussing possibilities to change the partnership with Microsoft, or even bring Google into the picture to help provide Yahoo search results.

Microsoft denies loss to Android OS in “Smoked By Windows Phone” customer challenge

Just last week, Microsoft revealed that it would be bringing back the "Smoked By Windows Phone" challenge, which asks customers with non-Windows Phone 7 handsets to head into a Microsoft retail store and challenge an employee of the store to certain tasks. It's designed to show how quickly users can access information on Windows Phone. The deal? If the customer wins the challenge (he/she is able to perform a specific task quicker on a non-Windows Phone than the employee on a Windows Phone), he/she will receive a limited edition Hunger Games PC (HP Folio 13 Special Edition). If the employee wins, Microsoft will offer the customer a trade-in of their current smartphone for an unlocked Windows Phone device.

Sahas Katta decided to visit his local Microsoft retail store after learning about the challenge, and brought along his Samsung Galaxy Nexus. Once it was his turn to take on the employee, Katta was asked to "bring up the weather of two different cities." He has two weather widgets installed on his Galaxy Nexus' home screen, so he was fairly confident that victory would be his.

After a three-second count down, I hit the power button on my phone and said “DONE!” out loud. I had disabled the lock screen entirely, which is a rather awesome out-of-the-box feature of Android that takes you straight to the home screen with a single push of the power button. I didn’t even need to touch the screen, since the two weather widgets were already there.

My opponent finished a split-second later. She had two live tiles on her home screen displaying the weather of two different cities as well. Why does it take longer on Windows Phone? She had to perform two actions. First, she hit the power button to turn on the screen. Second, she had to swipe away the lock screen. That’s pretty much as fast as it gets on that platform. Windows Phone takes two interactions. Android takes just one.

The employee, however, claimed that the Windows Phone device still won the race. Before leaving the store, Katta was asked to take a picture in front of a "My Android was smoked by Windows Phone" sign.

Microsoft employee Ben Rudolph has already gone to Twitter to apologize to Katta: "...I want to make things right. So I've got a laptop & phone (& apology) for you. Email me!"

‘Angry Birds Space’ coming soon to Windows Phone 7

According to Reuters, Rovio chief executive officer (CEO) Mikael Hed has stated that the development company behind the popular Angry Birds series of games is working on brining its latest addition to the series, Angry Birds Space, to Windows Phone 7. Rovio initially stated that it had no plans to port the new game to Microsoft's mobile platform, but the decision seems to have been reversed since.

Angry Birds Space was released for iOS, Android, Mac, and Windows yesterday. The game is set in space, and gives users new levels, power ups, and tricks to keep the series rolling.

The original Angry Birds game is currently the best-selling game in the Windows Phone Marketplace, but it doesn't have as many downloads as the iOS and Android version.

Microsoft reiterates no new Xbox hardware announcements at E3 2012

According to a report from Kotaku, Microsoft has once again stated to the press that consumers should not expect to see any hardware announcements related to a new Xbox console at the Electronic Entertainment Expo this June. Microsoft issued the following statement:

While we appreciate all the interest in our long-range plans for the future, we can confirm that there will be no talk of new Xbox hardware at E3 or anytime soon. For us, 2012 is all about Xbox 360-and it's the best year ever for Xbox 360. The console is coming off its biggest year ever-a year in which Xbox outsold all other consoles worldwide. Xbox 360 didn't just outsell other consoles, it also outsold all other TV-connected devices like DVD players, as well as digital media receivers and home theatre systems. And in our seventh year, we sold more consoles than in any other year-defying convention.

While not much is known about the next-generation Xbox, it has been rumored for quite sometime now. The console is expected to have improved internal specifications, and also ditch the traditional disc drive in favor of Marketplace downloads. The Xbox 360 is approaching its seventh (7) year on the market.

Microsoft launches “The Browser You Loved To Hate” campaign

This week, Microsoft launched a new advertising campaign dubbed "The Browser You Loved To Hate." It's focused on asking Windows users to give Internet Explorer another chance, especially after Microsoft completely overhauled the widely criticized web browser in IE9. The Redmond-based company also says that this ad is a good way to poke fun at itself, and encourage people to upgrade to the latest version of Internet Explorer.

We've included the ad below:

Microsoft celebrates Xbox’s 10th birthday in Europe with history timeline

Ten years ago March 14, the original Xbox launched in Europe. To celebrate the milestone, Microsoft has put together a timeline of the history of the Xbox game console, featuring the console's concept introduction in 2000, game releases, and console upgrades. The timeline has animations, images, and text descriptions. The timeline also gives interesting tidbits about random facts, such as the first Xbox LIVE gamertag being registered (it was "e").

Microsoft urging every Windows XP, Vista, 7 user to download latest security patch

In a blog post yesterday, Microsoft announced that its "MS12-020" security patch has been rolled out to all Windows XP, Vista, and 7 users and should be downloaded immediately. The company says that the security hole that has been patched in this update would have allowed hackers to run malicious code, and a working exploit could have been created within 30 days.

This security update resolves two privately reported vulnerabilities in the Remote Desktop Protocol. The more severe of these vulnerabilities could allow remote code execution if an attacker sends a sequence of specially crafted RDP packets to an affected system. By default, the Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) is not enabled on any Windows operating system. Systems that do not have RDP enabled are not at risk.

Next-generation Xbox to axe traditional disc drive?

According to a report from MVC, Microsoft's next-generation Xbox game console will not include a traditional disc drive for games and DVDs, but instead put a focus on online downloads and streaming. The current Xbox 360 already supports downloading certain content from the Internet, but the service isn't implemented fully and many users don't even know it's possible. The console is also said to include some sort of swappable solid state card port for storage purposes.

Microsoft could be unveiling its next-gen console as soon as the Electronic Entertainment Expo in June of this year, with a release sometime in the second half of 2013.

Google Search app for Windows Phone released

Yesterday, Google released its official Search app for Windows Phone devices (Marketplace link), allowing users to access certain products from the web giant without the need of a web browser and through a native app. Google Search for Windows Phone sports the "Metro UI" with integration of certain design features from the web version of Google.

The new Google Search app for Windows Phone. Find better results using Google from your Windows Phone. Search the web faster and easier with the latest features: Google Autocomplete, My Location, and Voice Search.

Voice Search: Search by voice and skip the typing Google Instant and Autocomplete: Get search results faster

Search Nearby: Find places near you without typing your location

The app requires Windows Phone 7.5 or later, and is a free download from the Windows Phone Marketplace.

Microsoft begins airing extraordinary Internet Explorer advertisement

Microsoft revealed via its Exploring IE blog that it will begin airing a new ad for Internet Explorer that focuses on displaying the “beauty of the web.” The ad was designed by Keith Rivers and Alex Clare, both of whom have been working closely with Microsoft over the past few months to build the commercial.

The ad is for both IE 9 and the upcoming IE 10.

Microsoft: Windows 8 Consumer Preview downloaded one million times in 24 hours

Just 24 hours after Microsoft announced the release of the Windows 8 Consumer Preview build, the company revealed via its @BuildWindows8 Twitter account that the OS has been downloaded one million times. "One day later…one million downloads of the consumer preview," the company said.

The Windows 8 Consumer Preview build features over 100,000 from the Developer Preview seed, and is designed to give consumers an idea of what the shipping build of the next-generation operating system out of Redmond, Washington will look like. Windows 8 completely overhauls the OS, and features a new "Metro UI" that is geared towards tablet-friendly usage.

Microsoft releases fifth Internet Explorer 10 Platform Preview

Following yesterday's release of the Windows 8 Consumer Preview build, Microsoft has also released the fifth (5) "platform preview" seed of Internet Explorer 10, the web browser that will be included with every Windows 8 install. IE 10 focuses on bringing improved support for HTML5, but also incorporates Windows 8's "Metro UI" features.

The fifth Internet Explorer 10 Platform Preview is available for download from here.

Microsoft posts Windows 8 Consumer Preview walkthrough video

Following yesterday's event where Microsoft announced the release of the Windows 8 Consumer Preview build, the Redmond-based company has released several videos that walk users through changes and features in the seed. We've embedded one of the videos below, and the rest are available in the link above.

Windows 8 Consumer Preview contains over 100,000 changes from the Developer Preview of the operating system, which was released last year. The build is designed to give consumers a fairly good look at what Windows 8 will look like when it is released to the general public, presumably later this year.

Microsoft relaunches glossy white Xbox 360 console

Microsoft announced yesterday via the Major Nelson blog that it has begun offering customers a glossy white version of the Xbox 360 console, packed with a white Kinect sensor. The console will come with 4 GB of internal storage and is being called a "limited edition" model, meaning it will be sold as supplies last. The glossy white Xbox 360 + Kinect combo will cost $299.99.

When Microsoft initially launched the Xbox 360 back in 2005, it was available only in a white finish. The company, however, ditched the white color for black after redesigning the console two years ago.

Microsoft launches Windows 8 Consumer Preview – over 100,000 changes from Developer Preview

Today, Microsoft announced the launch of the Windows 8 Consumer Preview build, the next step in releasing its next-generation operating system to the world. The release contains over 100,000 changes from the Developer Preview of the OS, which was released last year, and is available for download from the links below.

The Consumer Preview is designed to give what its name implies - the ability for consumers to try out Windows 8. The previous seed was for developers and only provided a locked-down version of the next OS out of Redmond.

Download link for Windows 8 Consumer Preview: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-8/iso

Skype for Windows Phone Beta released

Today, Microsoft and Skype announced that they have released the Skype for Windows Phone Beta application to the Windows Phone Marketplace (download link). The app brings features found in the popular VoIP (voice over IP) client to Microsoft's mobile platform after a long wait from users.

Free audio and video calls can be made over Wi-Fi or 3G / 4G networks. The device must be running at least Windows Phone 7.5 to run the Skype beta app, and the following devices have already been tested for the best performance:

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

Microsoft launches new “Smoked by Windows Phone” advertisement campaign

Today, Microsoft announced on the Windows Phone Blog that it has begun airing its new "Smoked by Windows Phone" ad campaign. The ads focus on comparing Windows Phone with other major smartphone platforms (for example, Android) and how Microsoft's mobile OS is quicker at certain tasks. The first clip in the series shows how quick Windows Phone 7 is at taking pictures.

The first ad is below:

What do you think? Will these ads be successful for Microsoft? Let us know in the comments below!