Showing posts with label Microsoft News. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Microsoft News. Show all posts

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Microsoft announce Explorer Touch Mouse


Microsoft Hardware have just announced the new Explorer Touch Mouse which expands on the touch strip technology that was featured on the Arc Touch Mouse by providing vertical and horizontal navigation, allowing a user to swipe the mouse in any direction. Microsoft have also added the ability to change the speed of scrolling from slow, to medium and then "hyperfast" for those insanely long documents.


Another feature that the Explorer Touch Mouse sports is haptic technology which allows you to feel and hear just how quickly you're scrolling. The Microsoft Explorer Touch Mouse also features BlueTrack Technology which allows the mouse to be used on a wide variety of surface and not just your desk.

The Explorer Touch Mouse is looking to hit shelves in September and will have a price of US$49.95

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Hotmail bans common passwords (beefs up security)


Ah, passwords. Most people are still surprised to learn that a majority of users continue to use common passwords such as 1234 or their last name. Microsoft know this and hence are beefing up security of their popular web-based e-mail, Hotmail. Microsoft are changing their password policy which will soon forbid the use of particularly common passwords. What this means is anyone who creates a new Hotmail account or changes the password of their existing account won't be able to use obvious passwords like "123456" or "password."


The new security system will block common phrases such as "ilovecats." In the near future, Microsoft could also extend this ban on obvious passwords to existing accounts. If an account is compromised, and that account sends you spam or a fraudulent e-mail, you can report that their account has been compromised. The feature is called "My friend's been hacked!," and this will block their account so the spammer can no longer user it, when your friend tries to log in the next time they'll go through an account recovery process.

I now await every service that uses a password to implement these features. Your move, World.

Monday, July 11, 2011

New BlueTrack equipped rodent from Microsoft spotted


A new rodent from Microsoft has been sighted in London this week which could be of interest to those looking to pick up a replacement notebook mouse or some such in the near future.


Said to be scheduled for release later this month, Microsoft simply call it the Explorer Touch and have packed it with BlueTrack technology to ensure it will remain operable on practically any surface as well as being wireless in nature.

Other features of the mouse include five programmable buttons, scrolling in the form of a touch pad and a compact USB receiver that can be tucked away in a compartment under the mouse.


Launch pricing is right up there, reported to come in at £69.99 (about $112 US) when it hits shelves at the end of the month.

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Internet Explorer 10 PP2 Now Available


Internet Explorer 10 Platform Preview 2 is now available for download, includes site ready HTML5, improved performance and increased security. One of the biggest changes in PP2 are some new technologies like Web Workers with Channel Messaging and Async script support which makes IE much more efficient when it comes to battery life - notebook users will love this!

 
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