Today at a Morgan Stanley Tech Conference, Microsoft’s Peter Klien announced that 90 million Windows 7 licenses have been sold to date, making it the fastest selling operating system in history.

Microsoft released Windows 7 on October 22, 2009. The operating system has received praise from consumers, businesses and the media. In November 2009, Windows 7 managed to surpass Apple's Snow Leopard market share in just two weeks. In early February it was revealed that Windows 7 had reached 10% market share in just three months.

Screenshots of a Windows 7 post RTM build showed up on the web in February, fueling speculation that Microsoft is compiling early Windows 8 builds. The successor to Windows 7 will likely be available in 2011 as an ex-Microsoft worker penned July 2011 as the RTM date for Windows 8.

Microsoft is currently readying its first Service Pack for Windows 7. A beta version is expected in June with a public release in September this year.

Source: Neowin.net

Last month, Google unveiled their bold plan to bring 1 Gb/s Internet to the United States using a fiber optic network. As part of the plan, Google is looking for cities to nominate themselves to be a part of the initial trial. Cities can be nominated by individuals, or by city officials. .

It seems that Topeka, KS is really pushing for Google's attention. According to CJOnline, Topeka's mayor, Bill Bunten, signed a proclamation, changing the name of the city to Google, KS for the month of March. The city is serious about bringing Google's fiber network to its people. The city council and community is fully onboard with the name change and push for fiber. Facebook group, Think Big Topeka, which was organized to campaign Google, now has 10,000 members.

The idea of changing the city's name to Google was suggested by general manager of WIBW-TV Channel 13, Jim Ogle. Name changing isn't something so new for the small Kansas city. Back in 1998, Topeka changed its name to "ToPikachu" in order to pay homage to the nationwide release of the Pokemon franchise.

Source: Neowin.net

The European Commission has given the green light for the T-Mobile and Orange merge.

The deal will create a network giant with 29.5 million customers. T-Mobile, currently owned by Deutsche Telekom and Orange, currently owned by France Telecom - will see a firm with sales of 9.4bn euros (£8.2bn; $13.5bn). This makes the joint company the largest mobile carrier in the UK, stumping O2 with roughly 37% of the mobile market.

The merger was originally announced in September 2009 but approved by the EU today. Some analysts believe that by merging the two companies contract prices will rise in the UK. Chris Watson, of CMS McKenna believes that UK mobile phone operators "would welcome consolidation in the sector." He adds that, "adding firms saw the current levels of competition as "ruinous" because of how low they had to keep prices to win customers." He also said that existing contracts will not change for customers, however - should your contract come due for renewal the consumer may find the price a little higher.

Orange says the integration will start immediately but that both the T-Mobile and Orange UK brands will continue to operate in the UK for at least 18 months after the completion of the transaction. It's not yet known what the new company will be rebranded to.

News Source: Neowin.net

According to ZDNet UK, the British could be slapped with a major annoyance. The Digital Economy Bill, which is aimed to stop copyright infringement, may pose serious problems for small businesses, universities, and libraries. As per the bill, it would become illegal for a company to offer free, open, access to the web. This would mean that coffee shops may no longer be able offer users the ability to surf and sip, turning away many potential customers.

The problem with allowing anyone onto an open network
is figuring out who takes the blame for illegal downloading. The bill would put the owner of the Internet connection at fault. In order for a small business to allow access under the new bill, they would have to do more than just password protect their routers. Essentially, to allow others to use a public connection, a company must become an ISP, keeping records of everyone they assign connections to. This is unfeasible for small businesses. Without such a system in place, large fines could be handed out.

The article notes various reasons why libraries and universities can't be exempt from such restrictions. It all boils down to whether or not an establishment qualifies as an ISP or a subscriber. Subscribers aren't held accountable at the same level as ISPs. Large hotels would probably fall under the ISP category, while many coffee shops and other low-bandwidth businesses may be subscribers. It's still unknown where universities fit into all of this. Details of the bill are still being ironed out, but one thing's for sure, no one's going to like it.

News Source: Neowin.net