…a push mail feature, which Apple has used in its iCloud syncing service, and Microsoft has been implementing similar technology. Previously, a German court upheld the patent in Motorola/Google’s favor against Apple, which forced Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) to disable the function to German users earlier this year. However, word is that the case against Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) is not so clear cut – with particular snag reportedly being the fact that Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) currently pays a licensing fee to Microsoft for use of ActiveSync. The Microsoft claim is going before Germany’s Federal Patent Court for a decision on that piece before the regional Mannheim court would rule on the validity of the patent claim by Google.
The Xbox 360 may be near the end of its career, but Microsoft’s entertainment business is doing just fine. The NPD Group announced on Thursday that the Xbox 360 took the number one spot in March, its 32nd straight month at the top. The Entertainment & Devices Division, home of the Xbox 360, is doing excellent though. Revenue from that group came in over $2.5 billion, a 56-percent increase over last year, and a 33-percent increase in video game-based earnings alone. All told, Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) sold 1.3 million Xbox 360s between January and the end of March. “We saw transactional revenue grow roughly twice as fast as member growth this quarter,” said Microsoft.
Microsoft multiyear license growth softens pain of PC decline (Reuters)
Microsoft Corp’s (MSFT) strategy of selling more long-term software licenses to big business customers is helping to cushion the blow from plummeting PC demand and a faltering start for its Windows 8 system. Personal computer sales fell 14 percent in the first three months of the year, just as Microsoft tries to ramp up sales of the latest iteration of Windows. But the company’s ability to keep hold of big customers rescued its third-quarter results, which came in better than expected on Thursday. Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) shares rose as much as 5 percent to $30.24 in early morning trading on Friday.
Microsoft Corporation (MSFT), Intel Corporation (INTC) & Five Leading Companies in Philanthropy (Insider Monkey)
Today, we’ll look at the philanthropy category, which gets a 9% weighting. So what, exactly, are these companies doing right? Here are a few examples of their philanthropic practices. Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) founder Bill Gates is well known for his massive giving, but the company is no slouch, either. In the past 30 years, Microsoft employees have contributed $1 billion to tens of thousands of nonprofits. Add together the company’s donations of cash, software, and services, and the total exceeds $6.5 billion. Some 65% of employees participate in the company’s giving program, and since 2005, they’ve volunteered more than 2 million hours. Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) matches eligible employee donations to charities each year up to $12,000.
Microsoft: Almost 25 percent of computers are still unprotected from viruses and malware (Digital Trends)
If your trial version of the antivirus software that came preloaded on your computer has expired, has become out-of-date, or you were hoping to do without the protection (and cost) – think again. According to Microsoft’s latest Security Intelligence Report, “computers without antivirus software are 5.5 times more likely to be infected.” Although the majority of users got the memo to proactively protect their machines with antivirus software and possibly even setup a firewall, an average of 24 percent of computers around the world are still unprotected and therefore vulnerable to cyber attacks. There are many free options like AVG’s antivirus software available online, so there is really no excuse to not setup some sort of Internet security on every computer.
