Windows XP support is ending on April 8th, 2014. Along with it will be support for Microsoft Security Essentials support for the OS. This leaves it pretty vulnerable for a lot of new attacks, as well as those that have been waiting for the deadline. Several anti-virus vendors have also pledged to stop supporting the OS. So, if you are still running Windows XP, now would be a good time to upgrade to a newer OS or get ready to unplug the machine from the Internet.

Microsoft has created a website showing some good reasons to upgrade, as well as a great countdown to the April deadline.

Verizon has put up a placeholder on it’s website for the new and upcoming Nokia Icon. The new Windows 8 phone has a big, but not too big (Lumia    1520), 5” screen. The placeholder price is not predictive of actual pricing ($777). Another beautiful Windows Phone device. My 4.3” screen is looking very small in comparison (HTC 8X).

Nokia is preparing to release a new 5-inch 1080p device for Verizon, and the US carrier appears to have accidentally listed the device on its website today with a placeholder price of $777. Labeled as the Nokia Lumia Icon, the 5-inch device includes a 20-megapixel camera, 2.2GHz quad-core processor, and a 2420 mAh battery according to the specifications listed by Verizon. The device has leaked a number of times under the name Lumia 929, but it appears Verizon will brand the device as the Lumia Icon instead.

From doom and gloom to greatness, 2014 has people throwing their predictions into the pot. For some, MSFT is set to soar above $40 a share. For others, low 30’s. Either way, there are a lot of variables this year with Windows 8 updates, Xbox One sales, and… oh yes – a new CEO takes the helm of the company.

Microsoft, on the other hand, is priced at under 12x forward earnings. Revenue growth is also expected to be in the 6% to 8% range in the New Year. In addition, this does not take into account the company’s over $70B (~25% of market capitalization) cash hoard. The shares also yield 3.1%.

Microsoft has been doing a great job listening to consumers this round for it’s Xbox brand. From doing a 180 on the always required internet, sharing games, etc. to updates addressing their concerns. Marc Whitten, Xbox chief product officer, has said they are listening to consumers and they have valid concerns. Some things are just more difficult to find than they were previously.

Microsoft has said they are committed to faster and more regular updates, as well. A lot of fixes for speed and reliability in addition to the major dashboard updates.

"The feedback we’ve gotten is pretty valid; some of the social stuff is hidden or harder to use than it was on the Xbox 360. So you’re gonna see us come out with an update where, well, we’re going to fix those things. As a person who’s been pretty involved in building Xbox Live for the last decade, I take it pretty seriously when people say it’s harder to get into a party, and the defaults aren’t right, and I don’t like the model. So what I’m trying to do with the team is kind of theme some stuff up. Let’s take an update and really go through a big list of what we’re hearing from customers, what we know is broken with the architecture, areas that we want to improve or complete. I think that’s a theme you’ll really see us push on — that Live experience."

The very powerful spreadsheet program from Microsoft – Microsoft Excel – now has another ability: fine art. Japanese artist Tatsuo Horiuchi has learned Excel and used it’s features to create absolutely beautiful Japanese art. You can download the actual files to see for yourself that it is in fact done with Excel and how it was done.

Stunning work. Even more amazing is what tools were used.

According to Horiuchi, graphics software is expensive while Excel comes pre-installed in most computers, and is easier to use than Microsoft Paint. He tried using Word but was limited to the paper sizing and he could draw more freely in Excel.

WZor, the notorious and accurate leaker of upcoming Windows releases, has posted some information on the upcoming Windows 8.1 Update 1. Very little information has been given, with no real information on the improvements, if there are any Start menu improvements, etc.. The release date appears to be late March, Early April as a free upgrade for users of Windows 8.1. Quote translated via Google Translate in Chrome.

Nevertheless, Microsoft has decided to release it is a new release of Windows 8.1 RTM 2014 Update . final RTM build ( Windows 2014 Update 8.1 ) will be available in about three months, ie somewhere in March 2014 , and it will be publicly available from April 1, 2014 as a free upgrade for all users of Windows 8.1 . circulated update will be through Windows Update .

Ford CEO Alan Mulally has officially said that he will not be leaving Ford to join Microsoft as it’s new CEO after Ballmer takes his leave. Ford stock is up with the announcement and Microsoft stock is down, as the list keeps getting smaller with no successor to the CEO crown being named yet and Ballmers days getting shorter in number.

"I would like to end the Microsoft speculation because I have no other plans to do anything other than serve Ford," Mulally told The Associated Press in an interview.

Microsoft has sold 3 Million Xbox One consoles this holiday season. This is a great number. However, Sony has come back and with their numbers – 4.3 million units sold. It’s going to be a very heated console war this generation. I expect both to do very well, and while Sony is currently beating Microsoft I’ve found that these battles can change very quickly. Still, great numbers from both consoles. I think Microsoft will be getting another sale in a couple weeks.  

As we now know, Sony sold a massive 4.2M PS4s worldwide in 2013, which dwarfs Microsoft’s already impressive 3M number by quite a substantial sum. It’s particularly surprising given the fact that the console sales have been relatively close to date. Both systems sold 1M units within 24 hours of release. Microsoft hit 2M consoles sold about a week or so after Sony said they’d hit 2.1M. They were behind, but within striking distance.

CES is upon us, and as such there will be many new announcements and new hardware. Windows 8 devices are on deck now, with some great new additions from Panasonic, Lenovo and more. Panasonics Toughbook is great for the manufacturing industry and those that are extremely rough on their devices. Lenovo has their MIX 2 devices (10” & 11”), which look great.

One of my favorites is the Toshiba Tecra W50, with a 4K display. Very nice!

We’ve seen huge growth and momentum in the tablet space over the past year. Partners have launched several small Windows 8.1 Intel-based tablets with great value, power and performance. They are also differentiated from tablets on other platforms by providing the ports users need, support for the broadest range of peripherals like older printers, pen/stylus support that makes note taking easy and Microsoft Office for productivity. Windows tablets also include the unique touch first Internet Explorer browser, Skype and Xbox so people can watch movies, play games and connect with their friends on social media, but also get stuff done on the go with Microsoft Office.

Microsoft has quietly been upgrading the CPU on new Surface 2 Pro devices, including replacements being sent out. The old Intel Core i5-4200U has been replaced with the Core i5-4300U, bring the speed to 1.9 GHz (2.5 GHz Turbo Boost) from 1.6 GHz (1.9 GHz Turbo Boost). This should give the newer units a bit of a performance increase.

Answers Post – http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/surface/forum/surfpro2-surfhardware/surface-pro-25-i5-4300u-19-ghz-25-ghz/bb77fa47-1516-4979-ad74-af6b021d6656

In a statement to The Verge, Microsoft has confirmed the change:

A Microsoft spokesperson confirmed the change in a statement to The Verge. "Microsoft routinely makes small changes to internal components over the lifetime of a product, based on numerous factors including supply chain partnerships, availability, and value for our customers," says a Microsoft spokesperson. "With any change to hardware or software, we work to ensure that the product experience remains excellent."