Google complains about Vista

Google has complained to federal anti-trust officials that the search tool in Microsoft's Windows Vista discourages customers from using its own search utility, the company confirmed Sunday, reports Computerworld.

Stories posted to the Web sites of the New York Times and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer on Saturday first revealed Google's complaint centred on Vista's built-in desktop search software, dubbed Instant Search.

Google, said both newspapers, accused Microsoft of designing Vista to discourage users from running its indexing and search software.

The typical-to-Xbox selection of driving and shooting games has worked wonders in appealing to the hardcore crowd, but in light of Nintendo's success, Microsoft hopes to broaden the 360's appeal with new games and possibly a price cut before Christmas, reports Computer and Videogames.

Xbox boss Peter Moore has admitted: "If we don't make that move, make it early and expand our demographic, we will wind up in the same place as with Xbox 1, a solid business with 25 million people... What I need is a solid business with 90 million people."

To achieve this, Microsoft has pledged to add more family-oriented games to the Xbox catalogue, and may even drop the console's price as early as September, analysts predict, a strategy which the Bloomberg report suggests "emulates Nintendo".

The company's slogan may be "Don't be Evil", but Internet giant Google has been hit twice in as many weeks with allegations it does not respect users' privacy, says China View.

In a report issued over the weekend, California-based Google, which has thrived on its image of enlightened management, is ranked worst for invading privacy.

The report follows warnings last week that Google's new Street View service, launched on Google maps for San Francisco, New York, Las Vegas, Denver and Miami, opens up normally private moments to a worldwide audience.