Microsoft is reportedly to become the first gaming company to run real-time adverts for a title on its platform, showcasing Gears of War 3 online gamers playing the game online when clips are broadcast. Brand Republic reportsthat the campaign will launch on Tuesday but the live elements of the game will be shown in 30-second executions starting on September 23, running through to October 3. The campaign is said to mimic that of Paddy Power, which updates viewers on its live odds during sporting broadcasts....

It’s funny how even the most stony corporate front can be cracked by its smallest contributor. An artist, hired by Microsoft to work on future projects, might have blown the whistle on the year of the launch of the next Xbox: 2015. While far from confirmed, which says little as Microsoft would never confirm something like this, we might have been given an early gift by the artist, the now famous graphic designer Ben Peterson....

Microsoft has made progress in terms of standards compliance with its Internet Explorer products, a dramatic directional shift that began with Internet Explorer 9, and is set to continue with the forthcoming Internet Explorer 10. But along the way, the company has managed to bridle a few backs by making rather odd claims about its support of HTML5. Microsoft has had a habit of referring to its support of HTML5 as ‘native,’ which people have taken exception to....

The Mayor of London Boris Johnsonhas announcedthat Microsoft is to create 1,000 apprentice opportunities in London over the next 36 months, as part of a new drive by the Mayor to deliver 20,000 new opportunities in the capital by the end of the academic year. Currently, 9,000 of the positions have been created, up 30% on last year, with Virgin Media also confirming that it will also be contributing to the scheme by offering 90 apprenticeships....

TNW Quick Hit: Microsoft is set to open itsnext two storesin the cities of Los Angeles and Houston. The company has been slowly expanding its physical presence from the West Coast onwards, with new stores opening with increasing distance from its home city of Redmond. While the stores in LA and Houston are the most recent to be discovered in the pipeline, Microsoft is close to opening a store in Lenox Square Mall in Atlanta....