You likely remember whenwe talked aboutWindows Phone 7 devices having unusual data uploads. It appears that, over a month later, we finally have an answer. According to a quote given toSeattlePI, Microsoft has stated that a third party solution is responsible for the data use. What third party solution, however, we don’t know. In order to get the number of reports that we saw, it would have to be an application that is widely used....

Microsoft has confirmed that those Windows Phone handset owners who forced their way to the ‘NoDo’ update with a method propagated by Chris Walshie willnot be able toupgrade any further. Microsoft previously warned that this might be the case, asking Windows Phone users to be patient and wait for their update to come via official channels. Owners of WP7 handsets on AT&T wererecently upgraded, moving another slice of the WP7 userbase up to date in terms of firmware....

Update: Google responds. Please see the bottom of the post. According to recently unsealed legal documents, Google appears to be promulgating falsehoods. At least according toMicrosoft’s reading of the documentsin question. If Microsoft is correct, then Google has been consciously claiming to have certain safety certifications that, again according to the documents and how Microsoft interprets them, they do not have. At the heart of this discussion is the Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA) certification, a high water mark for application safety....

Microsoft’s seemingly never-ending infatuation with HTML5 continues, this time in regards to Office 15, the next version of Office likely due in 2012. In Office 15, Microsoft intends to allow developers to use HTML5 and JavaScript to build add ons, plugins, and also interface with Office 365 and SharePoint. As Office 365 and SharePoint are generally labeled as ‘cloud’ services, Microsoft allowing for HTML5 in applications that will bridge them is hardly surprising, but it is important; the company is on a kick of product unification, something that it sorely needs....

Despite becoming thefastest selling gadget of all time in 2010, Microsoft’s Kinect accessory has failed to make its mark in Japan, with sales of the device falling short of the company’s initial expectations on the back of limited demand for its Xbox 360 console in the country,the WSJ reports. The head of Microsoft’s Japanese videogame business Takashi Sensui told reporters at Tokyo Game Show that the company’s Xbox Live service will be compatible with the upcoming Windows 8 operating system, which could drive demand for its console products and accessories, also noting the limited success of the Kinect:...