Security firm protests Microsoft updates

Microsoft has added its Windows Security Essentials package to the list of optional downloads available through its automated updates. That’s prompted complaints from one security software manufacturer that such practice is uncompetitive.
Trend Micro says tying the Windows Update system to software applications may breach competition rules. It describes Microsoft’s actions as “a vendor using market leverage to drive its solution in some unfair way.”
The dispute may become extremely complicated from a legal perspective thanks to the way Microsoft is distributing the security software. Technically its on offer through Microsoft Update, which takes care of updates for standalone Microsoft updates, rather than through Windows Update, which does the same for the operating system itself.
However, in Vista and Windows 7, Windows Update automatically checks for updates from Microsoft Update. (See what I mean about confusing?)
For its part, Microsoft is stressing that the service is an entirely optional download and that no users will have it installed unless they specifically opt to do so. (That’s in contrast to Internet Explorer being installed by default in Windows which, to say the least, has caused regulatory problems.) It also notes that Windows Security Essentials is only offered to customers who don’t appear to have any form of security product already in place.
To me, this appears to be a case of Microsoft’s past behavior coming back to bite it. In principle, a software company producing free security software and offering it on an optional basis to users that don’t already have a rival security package in place should be seen as a good thing.
The problem is that Microsoft has such as history of blurring the line between Windows and Microsoft-produced applications that it shouldn’t really be surprising when an independent application developer comes up with such a complaint, even if, as seems to be the case here, it’s simply trying its luck.

Security firm protests Microsoft updates

Microsoft has added its Windows Security Essentials package to the list of optional downloads available through its automated updates. That’s prompted complaints from one security software manufacturer that such practice is uncompetitive.
Trend Micro says tying the Windows Update system to software applications may breach competition rules. It describes Microsoft’s actions as “a vendor using market leverage to drive its solution in some unfair way.”
The dispute may become extremely complicated from a legal perspective thanks to the way Microsoft is distributing the security software. Technically its on offer through Microsoft Update, which takes care of updates for standalone Microsoft updates, rather than through Windows Update, which does the same for the operating system itself.
However, in Vista and Windows 7, Windows Update automatically checks for updates from Microsoft Update. (See what I mean about confusing?)
For its part, Microsoft is stressing that the service is an entirely optional download and that no users will have it installed unless they specifically opt to do so. (That’s in contrast to Internet Explorer being installed by default in Windows which, to say the least, has caused regulatory problems.) It also notes that Windows Security Essentials is only offered to customers who don’t appear to have any form of security product already in place.
To me, this appears to be a case of Microsoft’s past behavior coming back to bite it. In principle, a software company producing free security software and offering it on an optional basis to users that don’t already have a rival security package in place should be seen as a good thing.
The problem is that Microsoft has such as history of blurring the line between Windows and Microsoft-produced applications that it shouldn’t really be surprising when an independent application developer comes up with such a complaint, even if, as seems to be the case here, it’s simply trying its luck.

Microsoft Rolls Out Redesigned Dashboard Ahead Of Kinect Launch Xbox 360 News

Xbox 360
Welcome! Our site has all the latest news highlights on Xbox 360 to be seen online. The headlines here represent the most current “Xbox 360” highlights. come back soon for more of the latest Xbox 360 highlights Go get it! Happy reading!.

Microsoft Rolls Out Redesigned Dashboard Ahead Of Kinect Launch

 

 

 

 

 

 

Microsoft has launched its latest Xbox 360 dashboard update, which includes Kinect support, ESPN programming, Zune integration, and more. The new Xbox Live dashboard updates the Xbox 360 UI and allows users to navigate menus and voice chat with others using the impending Kinect hardware, and updates the proportions of Xbox Live Avatars to be better suited for Kinect-based games. Xbox Live gold …

Into — and part of — the game
The top researcher at Microsoft Corp. came to the campus of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy on Tuesday to demonstrate the technology behind the new Kinect console for Xbox 360, which will be released Thursday and is expected to be one of the hottest gifts this holiday season. Kinect, essentially a sensor that allows Xbox 360 users to become part of a video game, will retail for about …


Xbox 360 update!

 

Microsoft Rolls Out Redesigned Dashboard Ahead Of Kinect Launch Xbox 360 News

Xbox 360
Welcome! Our site has all the latest news highlights on Xbox 360 to be seen online. The headlines here represent the most current “Xbox 360” highlights. come back soon for more of the latest Xbox 360 highlights Go get it! Happy reading!.

Microsoft Rolls Out Redesigned Dashboard Ahead Of Kinect Launch

 

 

 

 

 

 

Microsoft has launched its latest Xbox 360 dashboard update, which includes Kinect support, ESPN programming, Zune integration, and more. The new Xbox Live dashboard updates the Xbox 360 UI and allows users to navigate menus and voice chat with others using the impending Kinect hardware, and updates the proportions of Xbox Live Avatars to be better suited for Kinect-based games. Xbox Live gold …

Into — and part of — the game
The top researcher at Microsoft Corp. came to the campus of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy on Tuesday to demonstrate the technology behind the new Kinect console for Xbox 360, which will be released Thursday and is expected to be one of the hottest gifts this holiday season. Kinect, essentially a sensor that allows Xbox 360 users to become part of a video game, will retail for about …


Xbox 360 update!

 

Windows Phone 7 could hit HTC HD2 after all

xda-developers.com became large with updates to HTC’s classic Windows Mobile devices – now that Microsoft wants to handle updates itself, the website will probably loose a bit of its flair.
Nevertheless, it is still the destination number one for people who are into Windows Phone for the HTC HD2. Engadget now reports the following:

… it looks like a port won’t make it into the wild before the platform’s formal US launch. That doesn’t mean you should give up hope, however, because one variant seems to be at least partway done, winding its merry way from boot through the splash screen and deep into the speedy UI in a far more convincing video demo …

Even though no official demo has been released as of this writing, hit the URL below to see a few videos of the app in question:
http://www.engadget.com/2010/11/06/htc-hd2-runs-windows-phone-7-makes-us-yearn-for-more-video/

Windows Phone 7 could hit HTC HD2 after all

xda-developers.com became large with updates to HTC’s classic Windows Mobile devices – now that Microsoft wants to handle updates itself, the website will probably loose a bit of its flair.
Nevertheless, it is still the destination number one for people who are into Windows Phone for the HTC HD2. Engadget now reports the following:

… it looks like a port won’t make it into the wild before the platform’s formal US launch. That doesn’t mean you should give up hope, however, because one variant seems to be at least partway done, winding its merry way from boot through the splash screen and deep into the speedy UI in a far more convincing video demo …

Even though no official demo has been released as of this writing, hit the URL below to see a few videos of the app in question:
http://www.engadget.com/2010/11/06/htc-hd2-runs-windows-phone-7-makes-us-yearn-for-more-video/

Windows Update Comes with Extras You May Not Want

Microsoft last week began offering U.S. customers its free antivirus program via Windows' built-in update service, a move one major security firm said may be anticompetitive.
Last Monday, Microsoft started adding Security Essentials to the optional download list seen by U.S. users running Windows XP, Vista, or Windows 7 when they fired up the operating system's update service. The move followed an Oct. 19 kickoff of a similar program in the U.K.
"Commercializing Windows Update to distribute other software applications raises significant questions about unfair competition," said Carol Carpenter, the general manager of the consumer and small business group at Trend Micro, on Thursday.
"Windows Update is a de facto extension of Windows, so to begin delivering software tied to updates has us concerned," she added. "Windows Update is not a choice for users, and we believe it should not be used this way."
If Windows doesn't detect working security software on the PC, Microsoft adds Security Essentials to the Optional section of Microsoft Update, a superset of the better-known Windows Update, or to Windows Update if it has been configured to also draw downloads from Microsoft Update.
Microsoft made a point to say that it was not offering Security Essentials via Window Update, but only through the Microsoft Update service, which also offers patches for new versions of non-operating system software, notably Office and Windows Media Player.
But most users won't understand the distinction because of the way that Microsoft has intermingled the two services.
In Vista and Windows 7, for example, Windows Update is configured out of the box to also poll Microsoft Update. And although Microsoft Update was once optional in Windows XP, new PCs with new installations of the OS now use Microsoft Update as the default update service.
"We welcome competition on a level playing field," said Carpenter of Trend Micro. "What concerns us is a vendor using market leverage to drive its solution in some unfair way."
Microsoft defended the practice, saying it was giving customers a convenient way to acquire antivirus software.
"We are always looking for the most effective and efficient ways to ensure our customers are protected against viruses, spyware and other malicious threats," said Jeff Smith, director of marketing for Security Essentials, in an e-mail reply to questions. "By offering Security Essentials as an optional download for PCs that are unprotected, we make it easy for those who want and know they need protection, but for whatever reason have not gotten around to installing it."
When asked to respond to rivals' anticompetitive concerns, Smith reiterated that Microsoft was not forcing users to download its product. "[It's] an optional download that customers with no antivirus solution can elect to download and install," he said. "[This is] just one of many options available to customers to get security software."
Other security vendors, including Symantec and McAfee, declined to say whether they, like Trend Micro, viewed Microsoft's move as anticompetitive or unfair. Instead, they downplayed Security Essentials' effectiveness.
"It's clear that today's threat landscape requires more comprehensive protection than what Microsoft Security Essentials offers," said Symantec in a statement. "From a security perspective, this Microsoft tool offers reduced defenses at a critical point in the battle against cybercrime."
McAfee took the same tack.
"Options that provide an elementary level of security, including Microsoft Security Essentials, mostly rely on traditional protection mechanisms," McAfee said. "McAfee products offer not only more features but most importantly, McAfee products offer real-time protection using cloud-based intelligence to combat even the most sophisticated threats."
All three vendors scoffed at the idea that they're scared of free antivirus rivals, and by implication, Security Essentials. "We've competed against free for a long time," said Carpenter. "We've not seen [free products have] much impact on our market share."
This isn't the first time that security companies and Microsoft have butted heads.
In 2006, Symantec and McAfee complained to European Union antitrust regulators about Microsoft's decision to block them from accessing the kernel in the 64-bit version of Vista, and barring them from its new integrated security center. Microsoft bowed to the pressure , and later promised to produce APIs (application programming interfaces) that gave security vendors some access to the kernel and allowed them to mesh their product's on-screen status features with the security center.
Carpenter declined to says whether Trend Micro would consider legal action against Microsoft over the issue, but said that her company "was always looking at issues like this."
In a follow-up e-mail, Carpenter was clearer. "We're concerned that Microsoft may be using its OS-based market leverage to box out other choices. If that were to happen, it would not be good for consumers or the industry, and would warrant a second look."
Trend was aware of the Security Essentials offer in the U.K. that started last month, but Microsoft's decision to do the same in the U.S. caught it by surprise. "We work with Microsoft on a lot of levels," Carpenter said, but added that Microsoft had not told Trend Micro it was expanding the deal to the U.S.
Not all eligible U.S. users have seen the Security Essentials offer because Microsoft is rolling it out over the course of the month, the company said.
Users who decline the download and then want to block the offer from reappearing can do so by right-clicking on the Security Essentials item, then selecting "Hide update" from the drop-down menu.