Tag Archives: license

Microsoft confirms Office 2013 licenses can’t be transferred to other computers

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Microsoft confirms Office 2013 licenses can't be transferred to other computers

It's no secret that copies of Office 2013 bind themselves to a single computer, but Microsoft has now confirmed to Computerworld that the software's license can't be reassigned to another PC, as is possible with Office 2010. When asked whether a license could be transferred to another machine if the original rig was destroyed, lost or stolen, Microsoft replied with a frosty, "No comment." However, Redmond did mention that the productivity suite could be reinstalled on the same PC after a crash. Just how Ballmer and Co. will enforce the policy remains a bit murky, but it's pretty clear they hope folks who have a penchant for switching up computing environments will be enticed by an Office 365 subscription.

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Source: Computerworld

Microsoft moves another 20 million Windows 8 licenses over holiday season, 100 million total app downloads

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Microsoft moves another 20 million licenses over holiday season

Ready for your quarterly dose of Windows 8 sales figures? After hearing that some 40 million licenses had been sold through last November, the company's CFO and CMO for Windows Tammi Reller announced here at CES that Microsoft has sold 60 million Windows 8 licenses to date. According to her, that number includes "sell in to OEMs for new PCs," but she didn't clarify whether or not it includes blockbuster deals like the $617 million one it recently landed with the US Army, Air Force and DISA. Reller also noted that the numbers are "roughly in line with where we would have been with Windows 7." Moving 20 million of anything over a single holiday season is pretty impressive, and we'll be keeping an ear out for more details should they emerge.

Update: Microsoft also announced that "since the opening of the Windows Store the number of apps has quadrupled and it passed the 100 million app download mark - just two months after general availability."

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Source: ZDNet, Windows Blog

40 million Windows 8 licenses sold in a month; meanwhile, mum’s the word on Surface sales

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Windows 8 sells 40 million licenses in a month meanwhile, mum's the word on Surface sales

It took just four days for Windows 8 to hit four million machines (ours included), and in just over a month, Microsoft has managed to sell some 40 million licenses of its tiled OS. To date, Windows 8 is outpacing Windows 7 in terms of upgrades, but given that the company had moved 600 million copies of the latter back in June, the new kid on the software block still has quite a ways to go. The news comes just hours after Microsoft also announced that it had sold a whopping 750,000 Xbox 360 consoles during the Black Friday weekend, which makes the omission of one other number that much more glaring -- after all, if it's so easy to dig up Xbox and Windows 8 numbers, why are we left with awkward adjectives to describe Surface sales?

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Source: Microsoft

Apple agrees to license for Swiss railway clock in iOS 6, knows what time it is

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Apple licenses Swiss railway clock, knows what time it is

When Swiss federal railway organization SBB and the Mondaine Group pointed out that the iOS 6 clock face looked remarkably like theirs, they weren't so much upset as clearing their throat politely -- it would be nice to get credit, if you don't mind. That kindness has been met with some reciprocity, as SBB has confirmed a licensing deal with Apple that gives the iPad builder rights to use the iconic timepiece in its mobile OS. Exact terms aren't forthcoming, although it's likely not a princely sum when SBB is better known for punctuality than wheeling and dealing. All we know is that Apple can at last live with a good conscience when it checks the time in Geneva.

Continue reading Apple agrees to license for Swiss railway clock in iOS 6, knows what time it is

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Apple agrees to license for Swiss railway clock in iOS 6, knows what time it is originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Oct 2012 09:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink The Verge  |  sourceSBB (translated)  | Email this | Comments

RIM licenses Microsoft’s exFAT file system to stuff extra-large files into BlackBerry devices

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BlackBerry 10 home screen

RIM has big ambitions for media on BlackBerry hardware -- really big. Accordingly, it just reached a patent licensing deal with Microsoft that lets it use the exFAT file system on "certain BlackBerry devices." We have a hunch that's a reference to future BlackBerry 10 phones and tablets rather than retrofits of existing (and likely incapable) mobile gear. The move will let any devices that do recognize exFAT handle much larger files, such as long videos, in addition to streamlining transfers between computers and other gadgets. The conditions of the deal haven't been given out, but we suspect RIM's negotiations with Microsoft were on more voluntary terms than those faced by Android supporters.

Continue reading RIM licenses Microsoft's exFAT file system to stuff extra-large files into BlackBerry devices

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RIM licenses Microsoft's exFAT file system to stuff extra-large files into BlackBerry devices originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 18 Sep 2012 12:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceFlorian Mueller (Twitter)  | Email this | Comments

Samsung’s defense against Apple patents begins with DiamondTouch table, LiveTile UI prior art

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Samsung's defense against Apple patents begins with DiamondTouch table, LiveTile UI prior art

Samsung may have convinced Judge Koh to toss a few international handsets out of Apple's lawsuit, but the Korean firm still has Cupertino's patent licensing accusations to contend with. Their tactic? Convince the court that Apple's claim to the inventions are invalid, and that the technology was developed prior to the disputed patent's filing. It's called showing "prior art," and Sammy's done it before -- famously showing a scene from 2001: A Space Odyssey in an attempt to put Apple's iPad design claims to rest. Today's examples were more grounded in reality, focusing on debunking Cupertino's claim to the "bounce back" effect that happens when a user reaches the end of a page and common multitouch zoom / navigation gestures.

Samsung pitted the famous "bounce back" feature against an old PocketPC interface called LaunchTile, which allowed users to navigate through 36 applications by zooming in and out and a panning across a grid-like "world view" of said apps. Movement between grids snap to each zone, marking the end of a page. Apple shot back, noting that LiveTile's snapping navigation didn't work on diagonals, and cited other differences as well. Samsung wasn't deterred, however, and brought out DiamondTouch, a projector based multitouch table that utilized both one touch scrolling and pinch-based zoom gestures. The table even takes aim at the aforementioned bounce-back patent with a technology called TableCloth, which bounces back images that are pulled off screen. DiamondTouch's creator, Adam Bogue, told the court that he had demoed the technology to Apple privately back in 2003, noting that it was also available to anyone who visited the Mitsubishi Electronic Research Laboratories' lobby.

If the jury takes to Samsung's claims of prior art, it could severely cut Apple's claims against it. Even so, Cupertino's lawyers aren't going down without a fight, and still have a number of navigation and design claims that Samsung hasn't addressed. The two parties are expected to keep up the fight for about a week, we'll keep you posted on the inevitable revelations as they come.

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Samsung's defense against Apple patents begins with DiamondTouch table, LiveTile UI prior art originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Aug 2012 23:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceCNET, Wall Street Journal  | Email this | Comments

Microsoft licensed design patents at issue in Apple v. Samsung, Surface lovers breathe sigh of relief

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Microsoft licensed design patents at issue in Apple v Samsung, Surface lovers breathe sigh of relief

Last week, we found out about Apple's offer to license a bundle of IP -- including its iPhone and iPad design patents -- to Samsung back in 2010. Today, Reuters reports that Apple proposed a similar deal to Microsoft, and the folks in Redmond took them up on the offer. Details of the license itself are scarce, but the deal did, naturally, include an provision expressly prohibiting iDevice copies. So, for folks figuring that Microsoft might face a litigious future similar to Samsung's, think again. Looks like Ballmer and friends had the foresight to buy the rights to those rounded corners, edge-to-edge glass and black bezels on their forthcoming Surface tablets.

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Microsoft licensed design patents at issue in Apple v. Samsung, Surface lovers breathe sigh of relief originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Aug 2012 13:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft and Sharp strike licensing deal for use of exFAT technology in Android-based devices

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Microsoft already has licensing agreements with the companies accounting for the vast majority of Android devices on the market, but it's not done just yet. The latest to come on board is Sharp, which has signed a deal that will allow it to use Microsoft's Extended File Allocation Table file system (otherwise known as exFAT) on its Android-based devices -- that's a slightly more specific agreement than most others, where the contents haven't been disclosed. While Sharp isn't exactly a major smartphone player here in North America, it is in Japan, where it had a market share of 17.5 percent in 2011 (second only to Apple). As with other similar deals, this agreement will see Microsoft receive royalties on all Sharp Android devices sold, although neither party has commented on the specific terms. You can find the official word after the break.

Continue reading Microsoft and Sharp strike licensing deal for use of exFAT technology in Android-based devices

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Microsoft and Sharp strike licensing deal for use of exFAT technology in Android-based devices originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Aug 2012 13:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Honeywell next up to get a patent license from Microsoft, goes the Android handheld route

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Honeywell next up to get a patent license from Microsoft, goes the Android route

Stop us if you've heard this one before: a company that wants to start using (or keep using) a Google OS strikes a patent licensing deal with Microsoft to avoid the legal barrage that will invariably follow if it says no. It's Honeywell singing the tune this time, and the company has reached an agreement that will let it use Android or Chrome OS on devices like a new edition of the Dolphin 7800 rugged handheld (shown here) without perpetually looking over its shoulder. Neither side is going into the specifics, although Microsoft has steered Honeywell into using its boilerplate copy about royalties trading hands. The truce won't help the prices of Honeywell devices; even so, it's good news for developers and customers who've been part of the company's official Android feedback program. We're still yearning for the day when we can get root access on a Honeywell thermostat.

Continue reading Honeywell next up to get a patent license from Microsoft, goes the Android handheld route

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Honeywell next up to get a patent license from Microsoft, goes the Android handheld route originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Aug 2012 21:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rovi lands Google Fiber patent license deal, keeps program guides flowing

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Rovi strikes Google Fiber patent license deal, keeps program guides flowing

Rovi considers itself the master of TV program guides everywhere -- even if some disagree -- so it's almost inevitable that the company would negotiate a new patent license with Google. The deal puts all of Google Fiber's TV interfaces in the clear, whether it's the set-top box near the TV or the less traditional interfaces found on the web and the Nexus 7 remote. Considering Rovi's existing connection to Google TV, the new pact may cement the company and its partner in Mountain View as surprisingly close friends.

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Rovi lands Google Fiber patent license deal, keeps program guides flowing originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Aug 2012 17:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink AllThingsD  |  sourceRovi  | Email this | Comments