Xbox 360 Profit Covered KIN's Failure

Microsoft lost at least $240 million on the Kin blunder.

Two weeks ago we reported that Microsoft sold 503 KIN (One and Two) messaging phones in less than two months before the company pulled the plug. Other reports indicated that the final number was less than 10,000, however consumers will likely not ever know the real figures, possibly to prevent further embarrassment on Microsoft's behalf.

Unboxing All the Halo: Reach Xbox 360 Editions

The next Legendary is supposed to be truly limited this time around.

Halo: Reach will be Bungie's grand finale to the series, at least as far as it is concerned. As in classic Halo fashion, there will be several SKUs for Halo: Reach buyers to choose from. There's the regular edition, the limited edition, and the crazy expensive Legendary edition.

Bungie says that this time around, the Legendary version will be truly limited in supply (in my neck of the woods, Legendary editions of Halo 3 were clearing out at under $20 a few months ago).

Microsoft Licenses ARM CPU Technology

Microsoft may create its own ARM-based chip.

Microsoft may follow in Apple's footsteps by designing its own ARM-based chips. The company said Friday in an official announcement that it has signed a new agreement to license ARM's technology. Now there's speculation that a Windows Phone tablet could be on the way, or that the Redmond company may incorporate ARM into the next Xbox.

Microsoft did not provide additional details on the agreement, merely stating that it delivers "multiple operating systems on the company's architecture, most notably Windows Embedded and Windows Phone." The company added that direct access to the technology provides the ability to enhance its research and development around ARM-based products.

Apple is the Leader in Admitting Software Bugs

Apple's grown a lot in the last year... in more areas than just product sales.

Apple is the new leader in reports of software holes and insecurities, according to security company Secunia.

To be fair, the Secunia's method tracks the number of publically reported security flaws, leaving Apple's taking the number one spot to be interpreted in different ways.

For one, Apple's reported flaws could mean that the company is more vigilant than others in reporting and fixing bugs in its software. Of course, the flipside to that is that Apple's software has to have those flaws in the first place, otherwise there'd be nothing to report on. Apple's security flaws don't come primarily from its OS X operating system, but rather mostly stem from software like Safari, QuickTime and iTunes.

Microsoft Releases New Security Essentials Beta

Microsoft has introduced the next version of Microsoft Security Essentials in a new beta.

Tuesday Microsoft's Brandon LeBlanc said that the company has released a beta of the next version of Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE). For the uninitiated, this is the company's "no-cost light weight anti-malware" service, providing genuine Windows users with in-house protection from viruses, spyware, and other malicious software.