microsoft

Microsoft said to go after Xbox One domain name squatters

Microsoft appears to be unhappy about a couple of domain name owners that nabbed xboxone.com and xboxone.net before it did.

The software giant is said to have launched a complaint with the National Arbitration Forum to get those domains into its bevy, according to Fusible.

Hot on the heels of Microsoft unveiling its new gaming console, Xbox One, the company reportedly filed the complaint with the NAF. According to Fusible, Microsoft kept the name of its console a secret, presumably to avoid various domain name squatters.

However, both xboxone.com and xboxone.net have been registered since 2011. … Read more

Will Microsoft sell Bing or Xbox?

Influential and long-time Microsoft analyst Rick Sherlund argued in a May 28 research report that it's time for Microsoft to get rid of Bing and/or Xbox.

The title of Sherlund's note -- "Pressure Building to Realize Greater Shareholder Value" -- makes it plain where he's coming from.

"We think there are a number of things that could be done to improve the return of cash to shareholders and improve the profitability and cash flow of the business," Sherlund, an analyst with Nomura Research, said in the note. He added, "We think … Read more

Google to build YouTube app for Windows Phone 8

Microsoft and Google seem to have found common ground in their recent skirmish over YouTube on Windows Phone 8.

The pair announced Friday that they are going to build together a version of a native YouTube application for Windows Phone 8 that will meet Google's terms of service. The new app will be available in the Windows Phone Store in the "coming weeks," according to a Google spokesperson.

A quick play-by-play recap for those new to the latest Google-Microsoft feud: On May 8, Microsoft fielded a YouTube application that it built itself for Windows Phone 8. The … Read more

Microsoft refutes reports about Xbox One used game sales

Ever since the Xbox One unveiling Tuesday, gamers have wondered how Microsoft will handle the resale of used games for the system.

In the absence of a clear answer, speculation and rumors have flooded the Web.

Microsoft is now telling gamers that the speculation and rumors aren't true. But it's not saying what the new policy will be.

"The ability to trade in and resell games is important to gamers and to Xbox," Larry Hryb, director of Xbox Programming (better known by his gamer handle Major Nelson), wrote on his blog Friday. "Xbox One is … Read more

How Xbox One opens the door for the next Apple TV

Imagine this.

It's 2014. Apple has gathered everyone together for a special event. As Tim Cook presents, he says, "Today we're introducing three revolutionary new products. The first one is a cable box. The second one is a revolutionary streaming-media device. The third is a new way to play games on your TV. So, three things: a cable box, a streaming box, and a game console. Are you getting it? These are not three separate devices. This is one device. And we're calling it iTV."

The next Apple TV, that long-fabled product, doesn't exist … Read more

Low Latency No. 63: There can be only One

Low Latency is a weekly comic on CNET's Crave blog written by CNET editor and podcast host Jeff Bakalar and illustrated by Blake Stevenson. Be sure to check Crave every Friday at 8 a.m. PT for new panels! Want more? Here's every Low Latency comic so far.

Microsoft reportedly to take cut on used Xbox One game sales

Microsoft's policy concerning used Xbox One games has proven a bit confusing, but a new report may have spilled more concrete details.

Citing information from "retail sources," gaming news site MCV claims that Microsoft and gaming publishers will take a bite out of the sale of each used Xbox One game. In the process of selling a used game, original owners would also see the game wiped from their online accounts so they no longer can play it.

Microsoft has already confirmed that Xbox One users who install a game on the console's hard drive will no longer need the disc … Read more

Look out, Google: Amazon's eyeing your turf

Visit Amazon.com and you'll find a bevy of recommendations to fill your digital shopping cart: books similar to what you've read on your Kindle or clothes and gadgets based on what else you've looked at.

Now Amazon is tinkering with ad technology that would flash ads for you even when you're not on Amazon sites. And those ads might not even direct shopper back to Amazon's sites.

It's still early days, but if Amazon's new strategy plays out, it could become the Web's next advertising giant. Sure, it already serves up … Read more

In risky new tack, Microsoft stacks Surface against iPad

Microsoft's "iPad vs. Windows" campaign now includes iPad vs. Surface RT. Is Microsoft picking the right fight?

On the back of new ads that zero on the iPad's (purported) weaknesses, Microsoft has thrown up a comparison page that stacks the iPad against four Windows 8 tablets.

Microsoft isn't using the Surface RT in the anti-iPad ads. Rather, the Asus VivoTab is its weapon of choice.

But Surface RT is front and center on the comparison page. One small problem: the (highly-selective) Microsoft feature chart doesn't necessarily portray Surface RT as the clear winner (see … Read more