We have been covering Microsoft’s ‘Vail’so much in the last few daysthat you would expect it to be a sexy gadget, not a regular bump to the Windows Home Server line, but odd times call for intense measures. Microsofthas confirmedthat the next version of Windows Home Server will not sell under its current ‘Vail’ codename, but will instead retail under the comparatively boring “Windows Home Server 2011” moniker. The simple changing of the year number in a product release name is very simple to recall, but I have always wondered if it translates well into consumer comprehension....

Microsoft is preparing to launch an own-brand Windows 8 tablet by the end of 2012, helped by component suppliers Texas Instruments and a number of Taiwan based vendors, sources tellDigitimes. Microsoft, which has trypically partnered with smartphone and electronic companies to push its Windows products on mobile and PC devices, could change the way it operates in the tablet market in an attempt to compete with Apple’s iOS platform and dominant App Store marketplace....

MSN, Microsoft’s joint venture in instant messaging, has entered into an agreement with Chinese social-networking website Renren to unify the login infrastructure for both websites and allow the cross-sharing of users and messages,according to a report by Reuters. Renren CEO Liu Jian said, “Renren’s alliance with MSN network is in the spirit of a win-win situation.” The deal will see far-reaching integration between the two services, allowing both networks to benefit from the others’ size and geographical reach....

And another one falls. Today, Microsoft announced that Quanta Computer and it have come to an agreement over the latter company’s use of Android. The gist of this sort of deal is that companies who ship Android-powered devices pay Microsoft a fee for use of its intellectual property (IP). Microsoft argues that Android steps on is IP toes, and thus companies that use it must either pay, or face litigation....

Do you remember the MicrosoftCourier? Most of us had already forgot about Microsoft’s short lived prototype but a Seattle-based developer refuses to let the idea die. Benjamin Monnig hopes to revive the Courier by mimicking its split screen functionality through an iPad app called Taposé . Within the app, users will have the ability to use the split interface to drag and drop elements from various applications such as Safari and Google Maps....