In April,Microsoft releasedan API mapping tool to help those familiar with iOS development code for its Windows Phone 7 platform. At the time we openly asked why the company hadn’t built the tool to support Android as well. Today Microsoft answered our question by releasing the same tool, but for developers familiar with Android this time around. The company calls it a “comprehensive package for Android developers to easily learn Windows Phone and port their app to Microsoft’s phone platform....

Just hours after Skype officiallybecame part of Microsoft, comes news that the VoIP provider has removed Google Toolbar from its installer package for Windows. Therelease notesfor Skype 5.6 confirm the change in an update that also contains “attribution of used third party software” (perhaps another Microsoft-related change) and bug fixes. Google offers incentives to developers who bundle its toolbar with their products, although now that Skype is part of Microsoft such a deal would be awkward to say the least – and it won’t need the revenue provided from such a deal anyway....

When Microsoft announced and launched the ‘Building Windows 8‘ blog, we sat up and took notice, as it was to be the official conduit that the company would use to unveil elements of its next operating system. Today, on the other hand, Microsoft is using the publication torespond to rather visceral criticismthat its recently redesigned version of Explorer for Windows 8 has received. That said, the company is not holding back its view that it has made the right choices, but it did show some willingness to listen and react to feedback, and gave hints that nothing is yet set it stone....

Microsoft called on the US Supreme Court today to change the way patent validity is determined. The case in question is a long running dispute between Microsoft and i4i, a small Canadian software company. To summarize the genesis of the case, i4i sued Microsoft over patent infringement stemming from XML related algorithm abuse. To be clear, i4i is not a patent troll by any means. i4i was awarded some $290 million dollars in damages from Microsoft by a court, a verdict that was upheld....

Microsoft publisheda post on its Building Windows 8 blogon Thursday, revealing the significantly improved boot times in its upcoming operating system. The company posted a video (embedded below) demonstrating the incredibly fast boot-up sequence as well. In surveying Windows users, Microsoft found that 57% of desktop users and 45% of notebook users completely power down their machine when not in use, instead of using the sleep function, primarily to eliminate power draw....