Microsoft

Microsoft has shared with select partners some specifics about what those upgrading to Windows 8 can expect when moving from Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7.

According to what my contacts have told me, here's the guidance released to them privately by Microsoft this month.

• Users will be able to upgrade to Windows 8 (the name of the entry-level consumer version of the operating system) from Windows 7 Starter, Windows 7 Home Basic, and Windows 7 Home Premium while maintaining their existing Windows settings, personal files, and applications.
• Users will be able to upgrade to Windows 8 Pro

Do you use the Start button in Windows? If not, then you're supposedly the reason Microsoft got rid of it in Windows 8.

Chaitanya Sareen, principal program manager at Microsoft, told U.K. computer publication PC Pro that data indicated a decrease in the use of the Start button. Citing "telemetry" obtained by the Microsoft Customer Experience Improvement Program, Sareen said the company found more users relying on the Windows taskbar for pinning and accessing their favorite software instead of going through the Start menu.

As a result of the reportedly dramatic drop in Start menu usage, Microsoft felt more

Microsoft's Surface tablet has got PC makers hopping mad. So, they're going to do something about it.

"[PC makers] are pissed off and they are looking for strategies now to not only counter the iPad but counter Surface," said a source at a large company that's part of the ecosystem -- the component suppliers and device manufacturers -- that does business with PC makers.

Separately, Roger Kay, principal analyst at EndPoint Technologies, told CNET last week that there was no shortage of "teeth gnashing" among PC executives and managers in response to the Surface launch.

Microsoft announced more

Nokia Lumia 710 and 800 users are starting to receive the updates to Microsoft's Windows Phone "Mango" operating system that are known as "Tango."

These updates will be rolling out in June and July, according to a June 27 Nokia Conversations blog post. WPCentral reported that some Nokia 710 users on Rogers in Canada were getting these updates as of last week. (WPCentral and WMPoweruser noted the coming Tango updates today, as well.)

A quick codename refresher for those who thought we were already up to "Apollo," or Windows Phone OS 8: Tango is the Microsoft codename for more

The Twitter client MetroTwit is now a full-fledged Metro app available free through Microsoft's Windows store.

MetroTwit users who install the app in the Windows 8 Release Preview will find it similar in many ways to its Windows desktop counterpart.

The app starts off by displaying a column for your traditional Twitter timeline. Clicking on a tweet opens an app bar at the bottom of the screen with a variety of options. You can view the tweet full-screen, reply to it, retweet it, and mark it as a favorite. More options let you open the tweet at Twitter's more

Microsoft seemingly believes tablet sales will outpace sales of desktops next year. But that might not actually be the case.

Speaking today at the TechEd Europe conference in Amsterdam, Antoine LeBlond, Microsoft's vice president of Windows Web Services, said that "next year, tablets will outsell desktop PCs," according to PC Pro, which was in attendance at the event. LeBlond reportedly didn't provide the margin of victory tablets should score next year, but he did say that "touch" functionality will dramatically change the PC market "just like the mouse did."

It's no secret that desktops and tablets are more

An EU court said today that it will uphold an 899 million euro ($1.1 billion) penalty handed out in 2008 by the European Commission, but will lower it by 39 million euros ($48 million).

The European General Court, the second highest court in the EU, said today it will lower the fine to 860 million euros ($1.07 billion) following an antitrust ruling nearly five years ago.

"The General Court essentially upholds the Commission's decision imposing a periodic penalty payment on Microsoft for failing to allow its competitors access to interoperability information on reasonable terms," the Luxembourg-based court more

Microsoft's new programming model WinRT -- showcased by the new Windows 8 -- is designed to keep Microsoft relevant in the increasingly mobile world, analysts from research firm Gartner said in a statement today.

"Windows 8 is the start of Microsoft's effort to respond to market demands and competitors, as it provides a common interface and programming API (application programing interface) set from phones to servers," Michael Silver, vice president and analyst at Gartner, said in a press release.

Gartner's analysts, who recently released a report on the changes to Windows, said enterprises will take about 10 more

Windows 8 offers several features designed to secure your files, but one of the most useful ones is File History.

The new File History feature can back up all your documents, browser favorites, desktop icons, and other personal files. Once set, File History runs automatically at specific times, though you can always trigger it manually.

You can also set the backup destination to a more