Microsoft on Tuesday released patches for 19 security flaws as part of its monthly patch cycle. The fixes cover security holes in Windows, Office and Internet Explorer. Two of the updates are for Microsoft's newest operating system Vista. Microsoft recommends all users to upgrade through either Automatic Updates within Windows or the Windows Update website. You can read Microsoft's security bulletin detailing all the patches here.

Microsoft Corp. and Novell Inc. today announced that Dell Inc. is the first major systems provider to join the business collaboration that was formed by Microsoft and Novell in response to customer demand for greater interoperability and intellectual property (IP) assurance. As part of the agreement, Dell will purchase SUSE Linux Enterprise Server certificates from Microsoft and establish a services and marketing program to migrate existing Linux users who are not Dell Linux customers to SUSE Linux Enterprise Server.

Microsoft Corp. today announced that Windows Live Hotmail, the successor to MSN Hotmail, is launching globally in 36 languages. Windows Live Hotmail will deliver a safer, more powerful and productive e-mail experience than previous versions with flexible access via the Web, on a mobile phone or with an e-mail client. As Windows Live Hotmail begins rolling out on May 7 and continues over the coming days, consumers will be able to visit www.hotmail.com to sign up for a new Windows Live Hotmail account. Current MSN Hotmail customers can also update their existing account to Windows Live Hotmail by logging into their account and clicking on the green Join Windows Live Hotmail button. Later this month Windows Live Hotmail customers will also be able to access their Windows Live Hotmail e-mail and contacts for free using Microsoft Office Outlook 2003 or Office Outlook 2007 via the new Microsoft Office Outlook Connector beta.

Although Microsoft certainly isn't in any financial difficulty, it's no secret that (much like Sony and the PS3) the company is making a loss on each Xbox 360 console it sells. However, Microsoft's president of Entertainment and Devices, Robbie Bach, has now said that the firm's gaming division "will be profitable next year". However, this money still won't be coming from the console itself, but more likely software licenses, Xbox Live and peripheral sales. When it comes to the actual Xbox 360, although Bach suggested that the company does expect that future profits will eventually compensate for the early losses once production costs fall, it sounds unlikely that it will ever make any real cash for the company. Microsoft's gaming division has failed to make a profit in the six years since the firm Xbox was launched, with Nintendo the only major console manufacturer profiting from current sales.

After losing out to Google in a bidding war to buy online advertising company DoubleClick, Microsoft could be about to acquire Yahoo!, a site best known for its search capabilities. The deal is being reported to be worth as much as $50 billion, and would allow Microsoft a stronger market position to compete with Google in the growing business of online searching. Earlier this week Yahoo! announced that it would be buying a further 80% share in advertising firm Right Media for a sum of $680 million, leaving it in full control of the company, a move which probably increased Microsoft's interest in such a deal. Yahoo!'s shares rose to $32.25 from $28.18 after news of this merger, which could change the face of online searching over the coming years - and may have a significant impact on free online email services considering that Microsoft is in control of MSN Hotmail.

For over three years, dedicated Halo fans have been waiting for the next installment of the Halo series to finally hit the PC. Whether or not it is an ugly port like the last one was, here are the official system requirements for Halo 2 on the PC.

• Windows Vista
• 2 Ghz Pentium 4 class processor
• 1GB RAM
• 7GB hard disk space
• DX9 graphics card: WDDM driver, PS 2.0/32BPP, At least nVidia 6000 or ATI x700 or above
• DVD-ROM drive
• Internet connection for online play

Those of you who have an Xbox 360 and want to buy an Xbox 360 Elite (or already have) will want to transfer the content from their "old" 20GB HDD to your new 120GB HDD on your Elite. But you you're out of luck ... well, until now.

Microsoft decided to give out free data-transfer accessories to those who have both, an Xbox 360 and a Xbox 360 Elite. Until now only those who have purchased a 120GB HDD for their Xbox 360s have gotten a transfer accessory with the HDD.

But to get the accessory for free you have to go through some annoying bureaucracy. First, you have to download, print, and fill out an authorization form with both consoles' serial numbers. Said form must then be sent via standard US mail to a redemption center in Indiana, which will then send out an Xbox 360 data-transfer accessory kit, for free.

Anyone who's bought the version of the Xbox360 with the 20GB hard drive knows the underwhelming collection of free stuff pre-loaded on the hard drive. The Xbox 360 Elite will have much more free content pre-loaded on it. For the extra money it would cost to get an Xbox360 Elite, you get three game demos, free episodes of popular television shows, and some movie previews. The three game demos are Burnout Revenge, Kameo, and Tomb Raider: Legend. There will be eight videos on the Xbox 360, including one full length episode of Justice League. All this free content sums up to one thing: Microsoft is trying to show off how their machine is more than just a gaming platform.

After year s of pouring money into Windows Vista and Office 2007, the work has finally paid off with Microsoft reporting record profits for the quarter ending 31st March 2007. Microsoft's closest rival, Apple Inc, yesterday reported that it managed a turnover of $5.26 billion and profits of $770 million from software and hardware sales, but Microsoft has maintained its dominance with revenue of $14.40 billion and a net income of $6.59 billion. Much of this has been thanks to strong sales of the company's newly released OS, with Kevin Turner (Microsoft's chief operating officer) commenting "This quarter marked the consumer launches of Windows Vista and the 2007 Microsoft Office system, and we are delighted with the positive customer response these products have received. We continue to deliver on our compelling product cycle and build upon strong field sales and marketing execution in order to drive revenue and profit growth for the company." Read on for the full press release.

In a figurative triple play, the Delaware Multimedia Patent Trust (MPT) is suing three technology giants for large sums of money. They are claiming that they own patents to Lucent technologies, and the right to sue for past infringements. The MPT is suing over patents regarding an "adaptive non-linear quantizer", "optimized scanning of transform coefficients in video coding", and "video coding with optimized low complexity variable length codes". The MPT wants a lot of money to cover damages, costs, and expenses.

Microsoft released its next-generation Windows Server "Longhorn" software for public testing on Wednesday and said the product is on track for a debut in the second half of 2007. The company said it expects hundreds of thousands of information technology workers to download the Beta 3 version of the next server operating system code-named Longhorn. Longhorn, which will replace the current Windows Server 2003, is the server operating system equivalent of Microsoft's new Windows Vista PC operating system with an emphasis on many of the same features such as better security. The download is available at www.microsoft.com/getbeta3.

Despite reports of Microsoft only managing a feeble 244 sales of its new Windows Vista OS, the software giant is now denying that there is any truth in the story. "Recent speculation regarding sales data in China is inaccurate," said Microsoft. "We're pleased with the positive consumer response we've seen around the globe to the security and usability enhancements in Windows Vista--and China is no exception."Although Microsoft has not given any exact figures on sales, it has said that Vista sales in China during the first month after its release were double those that XP had in its first month. Microsoft has been facing some criticism for its new OS, with a big blow coming when PC manufacturer Dell decided to reintroduce XP.

Trivia fact of the day: roughly 500 million people use computers now.

News flash: Microsoft is going to try and double that number. And to ensure that they will meet this awe-inspiring goal, Microsoft is going to try to lower the cost of their operating system, as we already reported. This $3 USD Windows Starter Edition, along with a cheaper version of Microsoft Office, will help Microsoft reach poorer countries. Hopefully, with the help of the One Laptop Per Child project, Microsoft will meet their goal.

After making the switch to offering just Vista on most of its systems, computer manufacturer Dell has backtracked a little and decided to re-introduce Microsoft's 'old' OS. This move comes due after customers were asking for XP back via Dell's IdeaStorm project which asks customers to help the company come up with product ideas. "We heard you loud and clear on bringing the Windows XP option back to our Dell consumer PC offerings," said Dell. Bringing back XP was one of the most popular requests, but it was still well below the demand for features such as Linux and OpenOffice on Dell PCs. Windows XP will be introduced to at least four Inspiron laptops and two Dimension desktops - a move which Microsoft is unlikely to support as it persuades customers towards the new Windows Vista, however Microsoft representatives were unavailable to comment.

Microsoft today announced that it plans to expand its global reach (and presumably reduce piracy) by offing stripped down bundles of software including as Windows and Office for a mere $3 to people living in developing countries. Although in essence this is a non/low-profit project, Microsoft may be planning ahead by enabling poorer nations to grow using Windows instead of free alternatives such as Linux, a move which could expand its potential market for the future. The project, named Microsoft Unlimited Potential, would see the $3 software package (including Windows XP Starter Edition and Office 2007) being supplied to governments who could then distribute machines costing no more than $300, with students being Microsoft's main aim. This news comes after figures show that just 244 copies of Windows Vista have been sold in China, and should, alongside the One Laptop Per Child project, help poorer countries developed improved IT infrastructures.

Microsoft spent millions of dollars advertising its next generation OS 'Windows Vista' in China, in fact the IT juggernaut threw up the biggest Vista Ad on the 421 meter high Jin Mao tower in Shanghai China. However after 2 weeks (Jan 19 to Feb 2) from launch Microsoft managed to sell a mere 244 copies of Windows Vista. Software piracy is rampant in the middle kingdom and a pirated version of Vista sells for a mere $1 on the streets.

US software giant Microsoft said yesterday it will set up its first joint research facility with Lenovo Group, in Beijing(China). The facility will be based in Lenovo's research and development center in the capital, with around 40 engineers from Lenovo and tools, training and some staff from Microsoft. "Based on our common understanding that personal computers will extend to every part of people's work and life, we believe our cooperation will bring many many opportunities to Lenovo and Microsoft," said George He, senior vice-president and chief technology officer of Lenovo. Craig Mundie, chief research and strategy officer at Microsoft, said the two companies will try to identify opportunities in the consumer and mobile markets such as digital photography, digital media and the Internet. He also noted that the joint center will develop products for Lenovo in areas like corporate computing, digital homes, Windows value-added services, as well as ultra-portal computing devices and smart handheld devices.

In an MSDN blog, Microsoft's Windows Genuine Advantage Senior Product Manager Alex Kochis has admitted that the OEM activation hack for Windows Vista does work effectively. The hack involves either using a custom BIOS to trick Vista into believing it is running on a different computer model and therefore allows activation without connecting to the internet or using the phone, or using software to fool the OS in the same way. Windows XP also suffered from a similar hack, which also fools the Microsoft website into thinking the Windows install is genuine, however it received little attention because of the numerous other ways to bypass activation. Unsurprisingly, Kochis' blog is largely trying to deter people from using this method due to its risks (custom BIOSes can be dangerous) and claiming that the software equivalent will be easy to detect and respond to, but it would suggest that Microsoft more worried about this bypass than the others.Notice: techPowerUp! does not support the use off illegal software

LAS VEGAS - April 15, 2007 - Today at the 2007 National Association of Broadcasters conference (NAB2007), Microsoft Corp. unveiled Microsoft Silverlight , a new cross-browser, cross-platform plug-in for delivering the next generation of media experiences and rich interactive applications (RIAs) for the Web. Early supporters of the new platform include Akamai Technologies Inc., Brightcove Inc., Eyeblaster Inc., Limelight Networks, Major League Baseball and Netflix Inc.

Microsoft Silverlight, previously called Windows Presentation Foundation Everywhere (WPF/E), integrates with existing Web technologies and assets to provide higher-quality experiences with lower costs for media delivery. Delivered to end users through a seamless, fast installation, Silverlight offers consistent experiences to both Macintosh and Windows users on a variety of browsers including Internet Explorer , Firefox and Safari.

As we all know, Mothers Day is rapidly approaching. Microsoft has decided to take this annual holiday, and add a fun-filled contest to it. Microsoft is offering flowers and an Xbox360 Elite to anyone who can write a 250-500 word essay explaining how awesome their mother is, and more importantly, how she affects the gaming community. The contest will close May 6th, 2007. Contest entries will be judged based on creativity, originality, appeal to Xbox.com readers, and how well it conveys the feelings you have toward your mother/female legal guardian. If your mother frequently has helped you through those levels you just can't seem to pass, leads World of Warcraft charges, or simply supports your addiction to video games, please write an ode to your mother here.

As some of you know, there are already plenty of things out there that can harm a computer through Word 2007. Microsoft already thought through this, and added some software that automatically detects when Microsoft Word 2007 is being exploited, and shuts it down. However, this software also will shut down Word 2007 if it detects a Word document that it cannot read. While your computer is safer at the end of the day, there certainly is irony in how Word 2007 stops itself from crashing by, well, crashing.

According to a Russian cosmonaut aboard the International Space Station, Bill Gates could be planning a trip to space sometime in the near future. Fyodor Yurchikhin, currently hosting former Microsoft engineer Charles Simonyi on the station, is claiming his present guest has told him Gates is also preparing to go to space, possibly on one of the $25 million trips to the space station provided by Space Adventures - although Microsoft officials are yet to comment on whether their chairman is arranging to leave the planet any time soon. Gates, who is the world's richest man with an estimated $56 billion, has never been best known for high-risk endeavours, but perhaps he needs a new 'Wow' in his life now that Vista has been released?

Computer makers have been told they'll no longer be able to get Windows XP OEM by the end of this year, despite consumer resistance to Vista and its compatibility problems. By early 2008, Microsoft's contracts with computer makers will require companies to only sell Vista-loaded machines. "The OEM version of XP Professional goes next January," said Frank Luburic, senior ThinkPad product manager for Lenovo. "At that point, they'll have no choice". Despite Microsoft's constant promotion of Vista, manufacturers are still seeing plenty of demand from customers for systems preloaded with XP, especially in the SOHO market. Click here to read the full story.

As we pointed out earlier AMD in close collaboration with Microsoft and many other companies holds a tech tour this year which started in Tampa, Florida, on April 10th. The tour will stop by in several cities around the United States and you can register for it at the official AMD/Microsoft Tech Tour website.
Luckily for all the people who won't attend the tour the guys from Techware Labs are hosting a comprehensive summary about the show in Tampa. Read how they managed to get an 'impressive' AMD Athlon 64 4000+ and what they were bothered most with.

The folks from Zune Scene have managed to gather some rather interesting info about Microsoft's upcoming additions to the Zune family: namely, Zune 2, as well as a flash-based Zune. They are both scheduled to hit the market this year.

Apparently, the hard drive version looks like the generation 1 Zune, but is thinner. It has a larger hard drive and still uses the doubleshot (read here). The flash based player is about "3 by 1 1/4 by 1/4 inches" in size. It is video capable and the screen covers about 75% of the front, similar to the hard drive Zune. The flash player has Wi-Fi and also uses doubleshot.