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This is sort of stunning, when you think about it. A reporter for "Fortune Magazine" has accused "The Wall Street Journal" of fabricating a report that Microsoft had sent out acquisition feelers to social networking service Facebook, and did so solely "to keep the news coming when there wasn't much left to say." But the rumor's not true, Fortune senior writer David Kirkpatrick asserts. His reason? "Good sources" at Microsoft. Well, there you go. More problematic, in my opinion, Kirkpatrick then goes out of his way to waffle around his argument, and then provides this bit of complete turnaround: "Long-term, Microsoft will probably look to buy Facebook or up its stake in order to bolster its own search business." So... I'm confused. Are you refuting the WSJ report or not? And what leads you to the following bit of conjecture? "[I'd] imagine Microsoft making a move for MySpace - when it's finally ready." No offense, but this seems like an attempt "to keep the news coming when there wasn't much left to say." More so than, say, the WSJ report. Geesh.

Hurry back from your weekend party: Microsoft will reveal the first gameplay footage for Gears of War 2 over Xbox Live and all over the internets tonight at 11pm PDT. The new trailer will feature a personal introduction by Epic Games designer Cliff Bleszinski, who unveiled the game earlier this year at the Game Developers Conference, and a first-look of chainsaw duels and large scale firefights with Locust Horde.Gears of War 2 is a follow-up to the best-selling Xbox 360 third-person shooter, Gears of War. The highly anticipated sequel is planned for release this November.GamePro.com will have the video on tap shortly after 11pm PDT.

In the not-too-distant future, people could use computer printers to make simple medicines as part of a do-it-yourself model of health care, a top Microsoft executive said Friday.

Printers are already liquid delivery systems, but instead of ink, people might someday put the ingredients of different medications into printer cartridges, said Craig Mundie, chief research and strategy officer at Microsoft, in a speech in Jakarta, Indonesia on Friday.

The drugstore-in-a-box, as he called it, would be part of several devices that could increasingly use information technology for health diagnosis and treatment.

Microsoft is appealing the $1.3 billion fine imposed on it by the European Union for failing to honor a 2004 antitrust agreement, the company said Friday.

Microsoft spokesman Jack Evans said via e-mail Friday that the company has filed an application with the Court of First Instance in Luxembourg to annul the European Commission decision of Feb. 27, which imposed the fine against Microsoft.

"We are filing this appeal in a constructive effort to seek clarity from the Court," the company said in an e-mailed statement. Microsoft is not commenting further.

Anyone interested in working for Microsoft on the next and future editions of SQL Server might want to check out this blog post from Lead Program Manager Debra Dove.

According to Dove, Microsoft is looking to hire several "Data Programmability" program managers this year. Candidates will work with the data access stacks across the SQL Server line.

"We're gearing up for the next release of the SQL Server, and we are looking for people that have a passion for building great data access technologies and frameworks to help with the effort," Dove wrote.

The next phase in Microsoft's efforts to scale games across Windows to a certain portable device, begins this week with the introduction of a preview of the next XNA Game Studio. But as we discovered, it could use some help.

Since its introduction almost two years ago, Microsoft's Zune has provoked industry observers to wonder whether the company would be inspired to follow up with a portable game system, a la Sony's PlayStation Portable, or whether the Zune would actually become its handheld game system.

Microsoft will increase its focus on making mobile phones part of its strategy to spread IT to people in developing nations, based partly on a prototype already developed for the purpose called Fone+ .

It's a subtle change from the past now that Craig Mundie, chief research and strategy officer at Microsoft, has taken over the company's Unlimited Potential Group, which focuses on the developing world. The group used to focus on ultra-low-cost laptops, shared computing and other initiatives, but the leadership change appears to put Windows Mobile and handsets into a primary role to spread computing to poor areas of the world.

Microsoft is shipping an update to its Automated Service Agent that adds new features meant to enhance its ability to provide unattended, chat-based customer care to Web users.

The ASA is a conversational service agent that is driven by natural language technology which Microsoft acquired in 2006 when it bought out tiny Colloquis.

Users can carry on conversational chat sessions with the ASA, thus cutting down on the number of individual sessions that live support personnel need to handle, a Microsoft official said.

Microsoft released Community Technology Preview 2 for Windows PowerShell Version 2, according to an announcement issued last Friday.

Windows PowerShell is a shell environment for network administrators with a command-line interface that can be used to automate server management and reporting functions. It works in conjunction with the .NET Framework (specifically .NET 2.0 in the case of CTP2) and features its own dynamically typed scripting language.

Microsoft is releasing the CTP2 of Windows PowerShell V2 to get feedback from users prior to the beta release. This CTP2 is not a beta and should not be run in a production environment, warned a Microsoft blog.

Microsoft does not rule out partnerships with other companies but has nothing imminent, Chairman Bill Gates said on Tuesday, after the software company pulled a $47.5 billion bid for Yahoo.

Microsoft walked away from its bid to buy Yahoo on Saturday, after the Internet company turned down its $33-per-share offer.

"The key decisions on that will be made by Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, who took a look at Yahoo and decided that, on our own, he likes the stuff that we're doing," Gates said in response to a reporter's question about Microsoft's plans.