Microsoft is taking on Google, at least in its news. The New Scientist says Microsoft is testing a a news-gathering web site that tailors the stories selected to individual users. Once MSN Newsbot is fully functional, Microsoft says the site will personalise results within 10 minutes of a user starting to browse. Microsoft is… Read More »
Microsoft’s Bill Gates has announced new junk e-mail filtering technology called SmartScreen. AP reports the technology will use algorithms to judge whether incoming e-mail messages qualify as junk e-mail and filter them out before they get to the end user’s e-mailbox. More interesting, Gates demonstrated Microsoft Research’s Stuff I’ve Seen project, which is developing… Read More »
Pop Up ads are doomed, now that Microsoft will make blocking them part of its browser, Internet Explorer. Explorer, ZDNet says, joins other web browsers by doing it, but because of its huge market share, it’s likely to kill off the concept entirely. No bad thing, you may say, but it will also hit advertising… Read More »
Unsurprisingly, perhaps, Microsoft have got their eye on blogs, RSS feeds and all those things that we love down here at Loose Wire. Microsoft Watch reports a prototype of software code-named “Wallop” — the company’s foray into social-networking software. While part of the application is a blogging tool, it also includes Sapphire, technology for simplifying… Read More »
If you’re not a big user of Internet Explorer, Microsoft’s browser — and therefore no fan of Google’s Toolbar — you may be interested in their new Deskbar. It sits in the bar at the bottom of your (Windows) screen, wherein you can type ordinary searches, image searches, even definitions and movie reviews.… Read More »