While Microsoft has started offering schools incentives to use Office 365, including free licenses for their pupils, the company is under greater pressure from its competitors. As more schools like Chicago's face budget shortfalls, free and discounted products from companies like Google and Apple, especially when attached to financial assistance, start looking better and better

Why does Apple look better?

IE is out of the question because it is too clunky,

What version of IE did you last use? I use IE as my secondary browser. There are reasons why it's not my primary browser, but clunkiness is not one of them. I find it far less clunky & far more stable than Firefox.

How is Windows Phone more of a walled garden than android? Can you give examples?

In response, suggests the Times of India, Microsoft may have dumped licensing fees for two Indian smartphone makers, Karbonn and Lava (Xolo)

What the hell does Lava(Xolo) mean?
Lava and Xolo are different companies. The article doesn't mention Xolo.

it was in the '70s and there was no PC-based POS back then

Were there no calculators back then?

The problem with Microsoft and Nokia, is that nobody really wants a Microsoft Phone

Not in Europe. Not in India.

Windows Phones crossed 10% in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the U.K for the 3months ending Jan 2014.

Nokia 5xx is the phone which is opening up new markets in Europe. Most of Nokia 5xx phones were people upgrading from non smartphones.

Some of India's local cellphone brands (who mostly sell rebranded Chinese phones & tablets) are planning to launch cheap Windows phones & tablets.

My biggest question is why all Google products (Chrome, GTalk etc) install a Windows Service. Most other browsers manage well enough without needing a Windows Service?

You can buy a Lumia 521 for 115$ without any contract
http://www.amazon.com/Nokia-Lu...

In India Lumia 520 is sold for around 130$ - fully paid for
http://www.flipkart.com/nokia-...

And you punch in your PIN with the waiter and the others at your table watching you.

So what happens at a restaurant. The waiter gets the check. You go with him to whether the credit card machine is set up to punch your PIN?

I am sure the white list contains the hash of the all the items.

If you gonna live till 82, you gonna develop any disease you can possibly develop.

I use something like this -> http://i.imgur.com/ciomNzs.jpg

Only nicotine - none of the tar or any other 500 chemicals which burn in a cigarette.

Why do you need to replace it? You can just install another browser? How many people uninstall IE even now?

You are a fool who doesn't understand what a tax writeoff is.