Here First - Science and Technology Blog

In its bid to repair the damage to Vista's image, Microsoft will be restructuring the company by splitting its Platform & Services division into a dedicated Windows & Windows Live division and a separate Online Services division. Besides that, Apple was singled out to be the primary focus of the Windows team noting that both the desktop operating system as well as Windows Mobile provide a choice of hardware but aren't as tightly integrated as Mac OS X or iPhone and thus suffer for it. Microsoft also plans to improve PCs' experiences with cloud computing, or the integration of PCs with Internet platforms, as well as to wage a "long-term battle" in search versus Google.

Apple Inc. may be getting into the gaming hardware business and then some. Recent patent applications have requested patent protection with the code word “APPLE” “for products that classify as “Toys, games and playthings, namely, hand-held units for playing electronic games; hand-held units for playing video games; stand alone video game machines; electronic games other than those adapted for use with television receivers only; LCD game machines; electronic educational game machines; toys, namely battery-powered computer games.” Whew. That’s a lot of protection and follows on the heels of their patent application for a multi-touch gaming interface. Which should put the Cupertino Rumor Mill in high gear this summer. Imagine the potential for wireless Xbox Live style gaming via a handheld PSP style device. Or could it be perhaps an “all you can eat” device converging the iPhone? Seems so, as the multi-touch patent states: “the invention allows various applications to be integrated an...