Microsoft Live Labs today released a free public version of Photosynth, which allows you to mesh a collection of photos into a 3D, 360-degree environment, which can then be embedded in any web page.

“Synths constitute an entirely new visual medium. Photosynth analyzes each photo for similarities to the others, and uses that data to build a model of where the photos were taken. It then re-creates the environment and uses that as a canvas on which to display the photos,” according to Microsoft Labs.

Photos are uploaded into Photosynth, which stitches — “synths” — them together into a 360-degree environment. A browser plugin is needed to view the montage, and the images are stored online. (more…)

In the wake of Microsoft and NBC’s partnership to provide free streaming multi-media content via Silverlight for the Beijing Olympics, anti-trust criticisms have mounted against Microsoft, reminiscent of legal actions brought during the 1990s. The International Herald Tribune, also known as the global edition of the New York Times, highlighted concerns in an August 11 article.

The issue is whether Silverlight standards should compete with other proprietary systems, or should complement them. Brian Goldfarb, a Microsoft executive, has stated that only Microsoft will produce the development software of Silverlight’s content. He has also implied that PlayReady, the digital-rights management technology of Silverlight, will only be accessible on Microsoft servers. Critics argue that these decisions are an abuse of monopoly power, stifling competition and innovation. (more…)

Who says Microsoft Vista sucks? If you’re looking online, it seems like it’s everybody. A Google search brings up entire blogs and Web sites solely dedicated to exposing fair use rights infringements, CPU-hogging mandatory security programs, and lack of application and hardware support. Specialized Web sites and blogs have the most vehement criticisms:

Responding to actual Microsoft documentation, Peter Guttman of University of Auckland has published an exhaustive article stating that the Vista Content Protection specification, which raises the bar on Digital Rights Management, “could very well constitute the longest suicide note in history.” Bruce Schneier condenses many of the details , concluding that the OS makes a computer less reliable and less secure. This slows down processing, and media pirates, the intended target for this software, crack the security in days. BlimpTV’s “Vista Sucks ” video says it simply: “No One Does Bloatware Like Microsoft!” (more…)

Kevin Cronin, chief investment officer for Putnam Investments, finds upside in four tech stocks in an economy he believes is currently suffering from inflation and deteriorating economic growth. “The tech sector and the utility sector have been two of the more defensive sectors over the course of the last year and we do find some attractive names there,” Cronin told Erin Burnett and Mark Haines on CNBC’s Squawk on the Street.

The four stocks Cronin believes have promise are Microsoft [MSFT], Adobe [ADBE], Apple [AAPL], and EMC Corp. [EMC]. EMC Corp., based out of Hopkinton, Massachusetts, specializes in information infrastructure technology and solutions. “We debate whether Apple is a consumer company or a tech company, but we like Apple as well,” Cronin said. Cronin recognized that the current deterioration of economic growth is not only an American issue, but a global issue as well. (more…)

A different kind of “march of the penguins” (the penguin being the Linux mascot) occurred as technology users and enthusiasts from around the world descended upon San Francisco, CA Aug. 4- 7 for the 18th annual LinuxWorld Conference and Expo.

In support of open source technology and Linux-based initiatives, the conference sessions and presentations highlighted Linux’s new role in consumer technologies, including operating systems, mobile phone capabilities, and the corporate desktop. (more…)

In an interview with the BBC, Steven Prentice, analyst for the information technology research and advisory firm Gartner, says that the mouse will largely be replaced with other means of interface within the next five years. The mouse’s place will be taken by technology developed for entertainment, video games, and computer access for the disabled.

“You’ve got Panasonic showing forward facing video in the home entertainment environment. Instead of using a conventional remote control you hold up your hand and it recognises you have done that,” Prentice says in the article. (more…)

Our friends at Ubergizmo.com were right to cover the rumor back in February 2008. Movie rental service Netflix [NFLX] and Microsoft [MSFT] are joining forces for a movie-streaming partnership for Xbox 360. The software giant announced the deal at the E3 Media and Business Summit in Los Angeles.

“The new Xbox experience represents the first time in history that a mass-market consumer electronics device has been re-invented through free software, giving people more fun and intuitive ways to interact, play, and enjoy entertainment content,” Microsoft said in a statement.

The partnership gives Microsoft access to a slew of advantage to put to use on its gaming console. Not only does the company get the over 10,000 movie and television library Netflix owns, but it also gets access to its large customer base. (more…)

Staunch competition has propelled software giant Microsoft [MSFT] to unveil plans for developing more online-based software, and although it carries a fee, the plan seems like a viable solution for a serious threat from free software.

On Tuesday, Microsoft announced that it will begin selling a package of four products for consumers by the end of 2009 and the same package for business by the beginning of 2009. (more…)

Hackers behind the Coreflood Trojan virus used administrator computers to reach hundreds of thousands of computers on their respective networks, with Microsoft’s PsExec program a vital program in the infections.

The infections have led to the loss of banking account usernames and passwords as well as other sensitive financial information.

Hackers trick administrators into downloading malicious software. Once the administrator log into the computer again and runs PsExec, the malware attempts to infect the computers associated with the networks, unknowingly giving away their passwords and, consequently, the power to reach thousands of computers. (more…)

Software giant Microsoft (MSFT) announced it would purchase the year old company Powerset, a start-up using principals of linguistics in an attempt to make Internet keyword search easier.

Though cell phones offer an “autotexting” function, one that finishes words begun by the writer, Powerset’s technology goes further.

It takes a given word, breaking it down based on meaning, with the end of allowing users to type in inexact concepts that would, thesaurus-like, bring up the intended word(s).

“Powerset has always been a small company with big dreams,” explained company product manager Mark Johnson in a Powerset blog post regarding the deal.

He continued the post by saying the company has the ambitious “ultimate goal of changing the way humans interact with computers through language.” (more…)