Ezine Articles

Microsoft may be working to completely retire Windows Live Messenger (formerly named MSN Messenger) in the coming months, with plans to integrate the service into Skype, reports the Verge.

An official announcement revealing this change could come as soon as this week, although Microsoft has yet to confirm or deny anything. This decision would make quite a lot of sense, if true, as Microsoft has been in the process of retiring the entire Windows Live brand for months.

Introduction

Windows Phone 8 is officially in the race. It probably isn't time to count the horses just yet but Team Windows seems ready to bounce - major OEMs have backed Microsoft up with flagships and mid-range options. Redmond is doing its part with what looks like one of the biggest OS overhauls this year.

Not every developer had the luxury of putting a flight to Redmond on the corporate tab so that they could attend Microsoft's Build 2012 conference in person. Much to their delight, they won't have to. The company has posted streaming video for every session addressing Windows 8, Windows Phone 8 and beyond, ranging from the two keynotes through to nuts-and-bolts framework talks.

Security firm Kaspersky has released its latest IT Threat Evolution report. There were some interesting findings in the report, as always, but the most interesting thing that stuck out was all the way at the bottom:

Microsoft products no longer feature among the Top 10 products with vulnerabilities. This is because the automatic updates mechanism has now been well developed in recent versions of Windows OS.

HTC's Phone 8X runs the Windows Phone 8 OS. Is Microsoft next with its own phone?

Microsoft and component suppliers in Asia are in the initial stages of testing a smartphone design, according to a report Thursday in the Wall Street Journal.

A source cited in the report says the phone has a screen size of between four and five inches.

Top smartphones from Samsung, Apple, HTC, and Motorola all have screen sizes in that range.