• What completed Skype-Microsoft deal could mean for consumers

  By John P. Mello Jr. | 15 October, 2011 07:49

  Microsoft announced today that it has mostly wrapped up its acquisition of the Internet communications company Skype. The $8.5 billion deal has received approval from the major regulators, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission and the European Union, although a few holdouts remain--Russia, Ukraine, Serbia and Taiwan--which are expected to fall into line shortly.

• Microsoft, Google suffer outages: Can you trust the Cloud?

  By Tony Bradley | 13 September, 2011 00:10

  The Cloud is falling! The Cloud is falling! No, seriously. It keeps falling. If it's not Google Docs or Gmail, it's Microsoft's Office 365, Hotmail, and SkyDrive. The issues encountered over the past week or so - and the sporadic-but-too-frequent-to-ignore outages before that -- raise serious questions about just how dependable Cloud-based services really are.

• Comcast's Skype TV calling could be a hit

  By Ed Oswald | 15 June, 2011 08:16

  Comcast subscribers will soon have the option to place video calls through their television, thanks to a partnership with VoIP provider Skype announced on Tuesday. Customers will need additional equipment to use the new feature.

• Gmail Delegation: Another reason to ditch Outlook

  By Brennon Slattery | 16 December, 2010 05:21

  Google has introduced Gmail Delegation, a new feature that allows multiple users to access one Gmail account. Gmail Delegation isn't specifically for business -- families sharing one e-mail account will find it useful -- but its collaborative nature is perfect for companies looking to ditch Microsoft Outlook's glitchy saddlebags and adopt Gmail as their e-mail system.

• Microsoft releases Web-based suite of apps

  By John P. Mello Jr. | 01 October, 2010 09:11

  Microsoft's Windows Live Essentials 2011, is ready for prime time. Microsoft announced Thursday it's consumer focused suite of free applications, has moved from testing mode (beta) to the final release. The productivity suite is Microsoft's flagship bundle of Web-based productivity apps for managing and sharing images online, editing video, and sharing documents and files between PCs.

• Upload and view videos in Google Docs

  By Brennon Slattery | 12 January, 2011 09:06

  Google Docs is becoming a more robust cloud-based productivity suite, and the addition of uploading, storing and viewing videos is a boon for sharing corporate presentations and the like. It's also a slick way to skirt your company's firewall on streaming video sites such as YouTube.

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