https://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. Microsoft has ended support for its Windows 8 smartphones, as the US tech giant focuses on other segments, amid ongoing speculation about its strategy for mobile. https://phys.org/news/2017-07-windows-microsoft-mulls-mobile-strategy.html Consumer & Gadgets Thu, 13 Jul 2017 16:28:16 EDT news419182089 Facebook on Wednesday began testing a Messenger app virtual assistant that the leading social network said goes beyond artificial intelligence programs already on the market. https://phys.org/news/2015-08-facebook-adding-virtual-messenger-app.html Software Wed, 26 Aug 2015 17:41:27 EDT news359829676 Microsoft said Monday its Cortana virtual assistant software was available to users of Android mobile devices. https://phys.org/news/2015-08-microsoft-cortana-android.html Software Mon, 24 Aug 2015 14:42:22 EDT news359646135 New features promised for smartphones, tablets and watches could improve how we interact with technology. Although it's too soon to tell how well these will work in practice, here's a look at what I'm looking forward to most this fall. https://phys.org/news/2015-06-features-apple-google.html Software Wed, 10 Jun 2015 04:41:14 EDT news353130065 Microsoft hopes to get more people using the next version of its Windows software on all kinds of devices by giving them access to many of the same apps they're already using on Apple or Android phones. https://phys.org/news/2015-04-microsoft-windows-apple-android-apps.html Software Wed, 29 Apr 2015 17:07:27 EDT news349546040 Microsoft will seek to draw more people to its Internet-based services with two new mid-range smartphones it unveiled Thursday, including one designed to help people take better selfies. https://phys.org/news/2014-09-selfie-centric-microsoft.html Consumer & Gadgets Thu, 04 Sep 2014 05:26:20 EDT news329027174 (AP)—Microsoft is spreading its Cortana digital assistant abroad, starting with China and the U.K. https://phys.org/news/2014-07-microsoft-cortana-windows.html Software Wed, 30 Jul 2014 04:08:50 EDT news325912118 The Nokia X phones that Microsoft discontinued this week blend two rival operating systems, but leave out the best of each. https://phys.org/news/2014-07-axed-nokia-lack-identity.html Consumer & Gadgets Fri, 18 Jul 2014 08:17:21 EDT news324890218 Watch out, Siri. Someone wants your job. Since it debuted on the iPhone 4S three years ago, Apple's Siri technology has been synonymous with the concept of a virtual personal assistant. But now comes Cortana, an intelligent assistant from Microsoft that's supposed to be much like Siri, only better. https://phys.org/news/2014-06-microsoft-siri.html Software Thu, 12 Jun 2014 17:30:01 EDT news321794954 Microsoft's new Windows system for smartphones addresses many of the shortcomings in previous versions. https://phys.org/news/2014-04-windows-advances.html Software Tue, 15 Apr 2014 13:17:04 EDT news316786607 "Yay, it's Nick! How can I help?" Thanks for asking, Cortana. And thanks for making the Windows phone software better, Microsoft. https://phys.org/news/2014-04-siri-like-cortana-windows-gap.html Software Mon, 14 Apr 2014 12:00:02 EDT news316693787 Microsoft took on Apple's Siri and Google Now with a smartphone personal assistant dubbed "Cortana". https://phys.org/news/2014-04-microsoft-cortana-siri-like-smartphone.html Software Wed, 02 Apr 2014 13:17:25 EDT news315663437 Microsoft is following through on a promise to update its Windows 8 operating system on a regular basis to respond to consumers' complaints and other feedback. https://phys.org/news/2014-04-windows-microsoft-conference.html Software Tue, 01 Apr 2014 11:58:54 EDT news315572277 In the market for smartphones, Microsoft's Windows Phone 8 system is barely there. It's dwarfed by Apple's iOS and Google's Android systems in both attention and sales. https://phys.org/news/2014-03-windows.html Software Wed, 26 Mar 2014 17:00:02 EDT news315071396 (AP)—Nokia is targeting emerging markets with three low-cost smartphones that use Google's Android operating system rather than the Windows Phone software from Microsoft, which is about to take over Nokia's handset business. https://phys.org/news/2014-02-nokia-emerging-android.html Consumer & Gadgets Mon, 24 Feb 2014 09:28:31 EST news312456473 The Google Android system extended its gains over Apple's iPhone globally in the last quarter of 2013, and Windows Phone grabbed the number three market position, a survey showed Wednesday. https://phys.org/news/2014-02-android-gains-apple-windows.html Software Wed, 12 Feb 2014 11:42:36 EST news311427741 Nokia, whose handset division is to be acquired by Microsoft, launched its first-ever tablet computer in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday, aiming for a stake in a fast expanding sector. https://phys.org/news/2013-10-nokia-unveils-windows-tablet.html Consumer & Gadgets Tue, 22 Oct 2013 06:29:03 EDT news301642105 Microsoft is updating its Windows software for cellphones to accommodate larger devices and make it easier for motorists to reduce distractions while driving. https://phys.org/news/2013-10-microsoft-feature-mode.html Software Mon, 14 Oct 2013 09:42:49 EDT news300962552 Microsoft is bringing a pared-down version of its Office software to Android phones, but it won't work on Android tablets just as it doesn't on iPads. https://phys.org/news/2013-07-microsoft-office-android-tablets.html Software Wed, 31 Jul 2013 09:17:20 EDT news294481033 Windows-powered smartphones made strong gains in the US market in early 2013, capturing third place, with Android and Apple at the top, a survey showed Monday. https://phys.org/news/2013-06-windows-gains-apple-android-clash.html Software Mon, 03 Jun 2013 12:00:15 EDT news289479605 Microsoft is skewering Google again with ads and regulatory bashing that say as much about the dramatic shift in the technology industry's competitive landscape as they do about the animosity between the two rivals. https://phys.org/news/2013-04-microsoft-escalates-advertising-assault-google.html Business Tue, 09 Apr 2013 09:54:09 EDT news284720034 A handful of new smartphone platforms are expected to become available this year, challenging the stranglehold of the two market leaders, Google's Android and Apple's iOS. https://phys.org/news/2013-03-smartphone-platforms-eye-inroads-hot.html Software Sun, 24 Mar 2013 04:09:17 EDT news283316945 The Android operating system accounted for 79 percent of all malware infections on smartphones, and the threat is multiplying, a security firm said Thursday. https://phys.org/news/2013-03-android-topin-malware-threats-survey.html Software Thu, 07 Mar 2013 16:32:05 EST news281896313 The junior league of smartphone operating systems is getting more competitive. Phones from yet another contender—Tizen—will go on sale this year with a view to eventually competing with the industry leaders, Apple's iOS and Google's Android. https://phys.org/news/2013-02-momentum-alternative-tizen.html Software Tue, 26 Feb 2013 17:45:47 EST news281123134 (Phys.org)—Kaspersky Lab has a new warning for smartphone and tablet users. Yes, it's all about Android. No, it's not like anything you've been warned about before. Lab Expert Victor Chebyshev has discovered a new attack vector in the form of nasty apps (DroidCleaner and Superclean) posing as system cleaners for freeing up memory, and boosting performance by cleaning out old data. The apps are malware. The Superclean and DroidCleaner are the apps that transfer malware. Instead of just infecting the phone they are designed to move across, infecting both the smartphone and PC. https://phys.org/news/2013-02-kaspersky-users-pc-infecting-malware.html Software Tue, 05 Feb 2013 05:20:02 EST news279262166 (Phys.org)—This week, Microsoft design tools for Windows and Windows Phone took a surprise turn with the company's announcement that components of "Expression" were in for some big changes. Microsoft announced there will be an end of its support lifeline for some of the company's Expression design tools, in its new resolve to consolidate elements of Express with Visual Studio. This is not a total phaseout but a consolidation move where some parts of the collection are marked for retirement. https://phys.org/news/2012-12-microsoft-visual-studio-gain.html Software Sat, 22 Dec 2012 09:10:01 EST news275379849 Google's Android operating system will power more than two-thirds of smartphones sold worldwide in 2012, and will remain the dominant platform for at least the next four years, a survey showed Tuesday. https://phys.org/news/2012-12-android-global-smartphone-survey.html Software Tue, 04 Dec 2012 12:30:02 EST news273845557 (Phys.org)—Microsoft has announced new tools for developers related to its SkyDrive file-sharing and cloud storage service—namely, SkyDrive SDKs for .NET and Windows Phone 8. SkyDrive is an important integrator for software and hardware coming out of the Microsoft universe; the new developer tools will push SkyDrive further into prominence. A Technology Evangelist for Microsoft, Jim O'Neil, said that the cloud serves up the "connection" experience and within Windows 8 that experience is not "bolted on." https://phys.org/news/2012-11-microsoft-skydrive-sdks-ifttt-tie-in.html Software Mon, 19 Nov 2012 05:11:12 EST news272524245 (AP)—For Nokia, it comes down to this: Is Microsoft's new phone software going to get it back in the smartphone race, or is it going to be too late? https://phys.org/news/2012-10-future-nokia-windows-rollout.html Consumer & Gadgets Sun, 28 Oct 2012 15:30:02 EDT news270653809 It used to be that Microsoft was the evil empire, and Apple the scrappy underdog. https://phys.org/news/2012-10-microsoft-apple-redux-empire.html Business Sat, 27 Oct 2012 13:54:41 EDT news270564861