New Feature: Microsoft Newswire

Microsoft Business Solutions Gains Stability, StrengthCNET - 3/29/2006Stability and a focused, long-term strategy from Microsoft Business Solutions was the big news that customers gladly welcomed at this year's Convergence conference.

Microsoft Delays Virtual Server UpdateCNET - 3/29/2006Microsoft has delayed until early 2007 an update for Microsoft Virtual Server, a technology that lets a computer run multiple incarnations of Windows simultaneously.

EU Warns Microsoft Over Windows VistaAssociated Press - 3/29/2006The European Union's top antitrust regulator has warned Microsoft that it won't be allowed to sell its new Windows Vista operating system in Europe if it comes prepackaged with certain features.

After IE Attacks, Microsoft Eyes Security BetasInfoWorld - 3/29/2006With hackers actively exploiting an unpatched bug in Internet Explorer and some users unhappy that a fix may still be two weeks away, Microsoft says it is looking at ways of providing more rapid security updates.

Microsoft to Offer 60-Day Extension For IE UpdateeWeek - 3/29/2006In what amounts to a subtle admission that Internet Explorer ActiveX modifications could be disruptive, Microsoft plans to offer a one-time 60-day extension to let companies rewrite Web sites and applications.

MSN Cuts Dial-Up Price To Woo AOL CustomersPC World - 3/29/2006MSN is offering an almost 20 percent discount on its MSN Dial-Up service's regular price, plus a free month of service, partly to nab AOL subscribers unhappy with a recent price hike.

New York Class-Action Suit Nears SettlementInfoWorld - 3/29/2006A New York Supreme Court judge has tentatively approved a deal that would order Microsoft to issue up to $350 million in software vouchers to settle a class-action lawsuit with New York residents who purchased Microsoft software between 1994 and 2004.

Microsoft, Competitors Protest Telecommunications BillCNET - 3/29/2006Microsoft, Google and Yahoo are among several Internet companies that are protesting new federal telecommunications legislation because it would fail to require "network neutrality" by broadband providers.

Industry Picks Bluetooth To Link Home DevicesReuters - 3/29/2006The world's largest electronics firms have decided to use Bluetooth wireless technology to send high quality video between devices in the home, two industry associations said Tuesday.

High Court To Hear Landmark eBay Patent CaseWall Street Journal - 3/29/2006The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday will hear arguments in an important patent-infringement case involving eBay.

Apple Losing Two Top ExecsInternetNews - 3/29/2006Avie Tevanian, Apple Computer's chief software technology officer and the programmer credited with creating the core of Mac OS X, and Jon Rubinstein, senior vice president of Apple's iPod division, are leaving the company this week.

On A Tiny Island, Catchy Web Name Sparks A BattleWall Street Journal - 3/29/2006Niue, a tiny, impoverished island in the South Pacific, is in an unusual battle with a Massachusetts entrepreneur over a Web domain name that could have big implications for the future of the island.

Time Inc. Makes New Bid To Be Big Web PlayerWall Street Journal - 3/29/2006Time Inc. is in the midst of another major effort to turn itself into a leading Web player with its powerful lineup of magazines.

Apple, Beatles Face Off In Court Over MusicBBC News - 3/29/2006A trial is set to begin Wednesday in London in a suit filed by Apple Corps, the Beatles' record company, against Apple Computer over use of the Apple name and logo to promote music products.

'Sandal And Ponytail Set' Cramping Linux Adoption?ZDNet - 3/29/2006The lax dress code of the open-source community is one of the reasons behind the software's slow uptake in commercial environments, says former Massachusetts Chief Information Officer Peter Quinn.

Google Widens Search Lead In FebruaryReuters - 3/29/2006Web search leader Google increased its share of the U.S. search market, based on total queries, to widen its lead over Yahoo and MSN in February, according to data released Tuesday.

Google Experiments With Map AdsCNET - 3/29/2006Google is adding graphical ads to maps on its local search site, foreshadowing the use of its pop-up balloons for various types of information and activities, an analyst says.

Google's Hidden PayrollChristian Science Monitor - 3/29/2006In developing nations, people boost their incomes by running ads for Google's Adsense program on their personal Web sites.

Gates Lays Out Future For Enterprise AppsCNET - 3/29/2006Corporate users will increasingly combine traditional enterprise software with online capabilities to create composite applications, Bill Gates said during his keynote at Convergence 2006.

BizTalk Server 2006 Released To ManufacturingInternetNews - 3/29/2006Microsoft has announced the release to manufacturing of BizTalk Server 2006, a business process management server that helps customers integrate applications within Microsoft environments.

Expression Software Due In Early 2007CNET - 3/29/2006Microsoft will step up its assault on Adobe Systems' customer base with the release early next year of its Expression line of design and development software.

Microsoft Plans Data-Storage Center In Rural Washington StateAssociated Press - 3/29/2006Microsoft and Yahoo are planning to build massive data-storage centers amid the sagebrush and farm fields of rural central Washington.

People-Ready Theme Pushed At ConvergenceeWeek - 3/29/2006At Convergence 2006, Microsoft Business Division President Jeff Raikes outlines the division's future and how it is delivering on a vision of roles-based productivity that combines people and processes to enable the people-ready business.

Raikes Discusses Plans For Next Office ChiefMicrosoft Watch - 3/29/2006Microsoft Business Division President Jeff Raikes says he expects to announce a successor to former Office Senior Vice President Steven Sinofsky "in the next few months" and that the new Office chief will come from inside Microsoft.

SAP: Microsoft Mendocino On ScheduleTechWeb - 3/29/2006SAP says Microsoft's decision to hold off on delivering Office 2007 to consumers until January will not affect the "general availability" roll out of Mendocino in June.