Microsoft Got Took?

This week’s chatter that Microsoft may have approached Facebook to discuss a possible takeover has created quite a buzz. But maybe Microsoft should be inquiring about getting a partial rebate on its $240 million investment instead.

Microsoft’s October purchase of a 1.6 percent Facebook stake implicitly valued the social-networking Web site at $15 billion. Even at the time, some people questioned such an eye-popping valuation. But as the months have passed, the number is looking even more bubbly. And not just to us: Several Web sites this week have questioned the value implied by Microsoft’s Facebook deal. On Friday, PEHub’s Dan Primack suggested it might be “one of the worst venture capital deals of all time.”

First, a big caveat: It’s hard to gauge how much Facebook is worth using traditional methods, because it is not a public company and gives out little in the way of performance data.

http://dealbook.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/05/09/did-microsoft-overpay-for-facebook/?ref=technology

Proves even more that Microsoft was just so excited about doing a deal in some from or another that they didn't even research this one enough. They're just going on a shopping spree for stakes in companies. El Stupido's

Microsoft and Facebook

Microsoft has been speaking with social networking giant Facebook about a possible acquisition, according to reports.

The Wall Street Journal cited a source close to Microsoft who claimed that members of its financial team had been in contact with Facebook to "gauge the company's willingness" to sell.

A Microsoft spokesperson told vnunet.com that the company would not be commenting on the report.

News of the talks comes just days after Microsoft called off its pursuit of Yahoo. The two companies had spent nearly three months in a very public saga that quickly turned from an acquisition offer to a hostile takeover threat.

http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2216137/microsoft-turns-facebook

Microsoft needs to calm down. They are starting to seem like a kid with birthday money that just wants something new in it's possession. I think they should let all the smoke from the Yahoo thing settle first, and then re-evaluate it's strategies.

Yahoo Suits Widen

Lawyers representing two public pension funds said late Monday they will broaden the scope of a consolidated class action lawsuit against Yahoo Inc. chief executive Jerry Yang and other members of the board to include "thwarting" the merger proposal by Microsoft Corp.

Bernstein Litowitz Berger & Grossmann LLP and Bouchard Margules & Friedlander, P.A. -- the court-appointed co-lead counsel for the proposed class of all shareholders in the suit against Sunnyvale-based Yahoo (Nasdaq: YHOO) -- said the suit is "to obtain redress for the Yahoo directors' breach of their fiduciary duties."

The case is pending in the Court of Chancery for the State of Delaware and plaintiffs are the Police & Fire Retirement System of the city of Detroit and the General Retirement System of the city of Detroit.

http://www.bizjournals.com/sacramento/stories/2008/05/05/daily27.html

Yahoo's going to need that $47.5 billion dollars to pay all of these plaintiffs

Microsoft is expected to announce Tuesday in Seoul, South Korea, that it will develop a version of its Microsoft Auto software for the Hyundai Kia Automotive Group, the world’s fifth-largest automaker.

Microsoft already has a deal with the Ford Motor Company for its Sync system, which uses voice activation technology to operate cellphones and play digital music.

With both Ford and Hyundai as customers, Microsoft’s software could potentially be put into more than eight million vehicles worldwide each year. Its competitors include OnStar from General Motors, Johnson Controls and QNX Software Systems from Harman International.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/06/technology/06auto.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&ref=business&adxnnlx=1210350528-79q6EX8G/qkD7koFafUntA&oref=slogin

Microsoft is slowly becoming the company of life. They're reaching into our homes, our pockets, our hands, our classrooms, and now our cars. Still far behind Apple yes, but at least their a competitor

Lawsuits Ahead for Yahoo

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Yahoo Inc likely faces a flood of shareholder lawsuits for rejecting a $47.5 billion takeover bid from Microsoft Corp, even if investors find holding the company responsible to be an uphill battle.

Microsoft pulled its sweetened $33-per-share offer on Saturday because the Internet company was holding out for $37 per share, even though Microsoft's price was more than 70 percent above where Yahoo shares were trading before the takeover battle started more than three months ago.

"I think it's pretty hard for the Yahoo board to turn down $33 when they've shown no ability to turn around their stock price," said Stuart Grant, managing director at Grant & Eisenhofer, a law firm that specializes in bringing investor lawsuits.

http://www.reuters.com/article/ousiv/idUSN0434026820080505

Here we go with the lawsuit talks and although I was opposed for Microsoft making the deal, I simply cannot understand why Yahoo did not accept it. Too much ego?

Yahoo Set to Plunge

Yahoo shares are set to tumble today after its dismissal of an improved $46.5bn (£23.6bn) takeover approach from Microsoft prompted the software giant to walk away.

Microsoft's chief executive, Steve Ballmer, said Microsoft had pulled its $33-a-share offer because Yahoo's demand for $37 made no sense. The move ended three months of discussions and increasingly bitter public statements from each side.

Analysts said Yahoo had overplayed its hand and predicted a fall of up to 30 per cent in the web-search company's share price when the Nasdaq index opens today. The stock jumped almost 7 per cent to $28.67 on Friday as hopes of a deal between the two companies rose. The shares have gained 49 per cent since Microsoft's original approach was announced on 1 February

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/yahoo-set-to-plunge-after-microsofts-46bn-bid-is-withdrawn-821202.html

THANK GOD THE WAR IS OVER......I'm curious to see what the aftermath is going to be now...where is Microsoft headed from here? how deep into the Google partnership will Yahoo dive in? and will the heads of Yahoo face any backlash from owners if the company does go south from here.

Microsoft Can Do Without Yahoo

SAN FRANCISCO: Microsoft can build a competitive online advertising business without Yahoo but it "could just take more time," CEO Steve Ballmer told the Wall Street Journal in an interview published on Friday.

The comment came as analysts and industry watchers awaited an imminent announcement on Microsoft's next move in its unresolved quest to acquire Yahoo as part of a strategy to compete with Internet advertising king Google.

Ballmer declined to say how Microsoft would react to Yahoo's rejection of its unsolicited $44.6 billion bid or when the company would announce a decision.

"With the right circumstances it'll happen. Without the right circumstances it won't happen," Ballmer told the Journal.

http://infotech.indiatimes.com/articleshow/3005118.cms

Today's news was filled with headlines about the Yahoo-Microsoft deal, so as tired as I am writing about this cat-and-mouse game, I have no choice. I have to wonder though, if this whole ordeal will hurt Microsoft's chance in the future of mounting a hostile takeover. Will anyone take them serious? I certainly wouldn't

Microsoft to Raise Bid to $46.2 billion

Microsoft, the world's largest software maker, is said to be willing to raise its offer for Yahoo!, the struggling internet portal, in an attempt to appease Yahoo! shareholders and break the stalemate between the companies.

Microsoft is reportedly considering raising its cash and share offer, currently valued at $29.06 a share, to either $32 or $33 to win over Yahoo!'s institutional shareholders who feel its current bid undervalues Yahoo!, the New York Times reported.

A $33 a share bid would value Yahoo! at $46.2 billion. Yahoo! has 1.4 billion shares in issue.

http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/technology/article3853829.ece

Does anyone other than Steve Ballmer and Jerry Wang care anymore? By now I'm sure Google has setup their internet ad business like the Trojan army.

Saving XP

Virtue may be its own reward when you go to church. But, like it or not, virtue generally takes a backseat to profit in the corporate world. But isn't it nice when the two come together?

Case in point: Windows XP, an operating system whose time has not yet passed. At least, we hope not. InfoWorld, of course, has been leading the charge to save XP, and I'm not going to repeat all the reasons that's a good idea.

[ If saving XP is revenue-neutral for Microsoft, keeping XP could mean actual big savings for users, argues Galen Gruman. ]

But to be honest, as a Microsoft stockholder and Wall Street watcher, I might well be inclined to tell InfoWorld to stuff it if I really thought there was a compelling business reason to toss XP overboard. After all, Windows is the engine that drives a huge chunk of Microsoft's revenue and profits; damage it and shareholders suffer. But a legitimate business case for dropping XP doesn't exist.

http://weblog.infoworld.com/tech-bottom-line/archives/2008/05/save_xp_microso.html

If you've been reading my comments throughout this semester, you probable already know what comment I had in mind for this article. So....yea....save the XP

Xbox Price Cut in Asia

April 29 (Bloomberg) -- Microsoft Corp., the maker of the Xbox 360 video-game console, cut prices on the system in four Asian markets to help stem market-share losses to Nintendo Co. and Sony Corp.

The Redmond, Washington-based company reduced estimated retail prices in Hong Kong, South Korea, Singapore and Taiwan, Brenda Hsieh, a Microsoft spokeswoman in Taipei, said today.
The cuts follow price reductions in Europe that led Xbox 360 sales to double. Microsoft has had trouble breaking into the Asian market because of the dominance of Kyoto, Japan-based Nintendo and different game preferences in Asia, Jeff Bell, the vice president of global marketing for Microsoft's interactive entertainment business, said in an interview last week.

The price of a basic version will drop by 17 percent to NT$10,360 ($340) in Taiwan and by about 11 percent in Hong Kong effective today, Hsieh said. Prices will fall 5.1 percent to 369,000 won ($369) in Korea and by 20 percent to S$499 ($366) in Singapore, according to separate e-mailed statements.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601101&sid=aVqA1ezBWXoM&refer=japan

I highly doubt the Asian Market will care about this price cut. With the drastic rise in the price of rice, one of the main consumptions, I think they'll be more occupied with other pricing situations.

CSI: Microsoft

Microsoft has developed a small plug-in device that investigators can use to quickly extract forensic data from computers that may have been used in crimes.

The COFEE, which stands for Computer Online Forensic Evidence Extractor, is a USB "thumb drive" that was quietly distributed to a handful of law-enforcement agencies last June. Microsoft General Counsel Brad Smith described its use to the 350 law-enforcement experts attending a company conference Monday.

The device contains 150 commands that can dramatically cut the time it takes to gather digital evidence, which is becoming more important in real-world crime, as well as cybercrime. It can decrypt passwords and analyze a computer's Internet activity, as well as data stored in the computer.

It also eliminates the need to seize a computer itself, which typically involves disconnecting from a network, turning off the power and potentially losing data. Instead, the investigator can scan for evidence on site.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/microsoft/2004379751_msftlaw29.html

Now Microsoft is reaching into the CSI files. They should stick with this as opposed to the Internet advertising because seemingly, they can't even start out on the right foot with that. In all seriousness though, this is innovative and probably will be in the next suspenseful - detective movie which will add recognition to this product/service.

Market Falls in Accordance With Microsoft

NEW YORK, April 25 (Reuters) - U.S. stocks fell on Friday as disappointing results from Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O: Quote, Profile, Research) weighed on the technology sector and a sharp rise in the price of oil hit industrial shares.

Crude oil futures rose above $119 per barrel after the U.S. Navy provided details of an encounter between a cargo ship chartered by the U.S. military and two small boats believed to be Iranian. For details see [ID:nN25305335]. A report on Iranian television said there was no confrontation.

Shares of heavy equipment maker Caterpillar Inc (CAT.N: Quote, Profile, Research) declined 0.6 percent to $81.34 on the New York Stock Exchange.

http://www.reuters.com/article/usMktRpt/idUSN2515620320080425

I find it extremely impressive and rather encouraging that an entire market can decline on the stock news of Microsoft.

Live Mesh - The Next Best Thing

SAN FRANCISCO (Fortune) -- One thing Microsoft isn't good at creating is buzz - that's Apple expertise. But if there's anything that set the crowd talking this week at Web 2.0 Expo, one of the year's largest gatherings, it was the software giant's upcoming Live Mesh service.

Live Mesh promises to let consumers connect and interact with all of their devices on the Internet. So a desktop at home, a PC at work, a laptop, a music/video player, a mobile phone - anything in theory that can connect to the Internet - gets linked and is available via the "mesh" to anything else. Another virtual device, what Microsoft calls a "Live desktop," resides on the Web and can be used to access all your other connected devices.

"In many respects this marks a sea-change for Microsoft," said Joshua Holbrook, Yankee Group's director of enterprise research, after Microsoft announced Live Mesh on Wednesday. "They are taking a huge step toward opening up" their software so that it permeates the Internet the way it dominates desktop computers.

http://money.cnn.com/2008/04/25/technology/microsoft_livemesh.fortune/?postversion=2008042514

I really think this is going to be big. Maybe not in the next couple of months, but when a buzz is created for this service/product - who knows how long that is going to take because Microsoft is horrible at creating a buzz - people will become desperate to connect all of their devices together.

Microsoft Shares Fall 6%

Microsoft saw its shares fall 6% after it posted a fall in quarterly profits and earnings forecasts at the lower end of market expectations.

A day earlier the firm said profits fell 11% to $4.39bn (£2.22bn) in the first three months of the year.

Uncertainty about what will happen to the firm's $44.6bn-bid for Yahoo has added to market concerns.

Microsoft had given Yahoo until 26 April to respond but later implied it would wait a few days.
The deadline was due to expire on Saturday but by close of trade on Friday there had been no further statement from Microsoft.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7368343.stm

I wouldn't worry if I were Microsoft, the entire economy is going to hell in a handcart. They're just joining the masses. At least they did not have stake in any airline companies.

Investors Want Yahoo War to End

April 24 (Bloomberg) -- Shareholders of Microsoft Corp. may be more focused on news regarding the takeover of Yahoo Inc. than the software maker's earnings report and sales forecast today.

Microsoft has dropped 3.5 percent in Nasdaq trading since Chief Executive Officer Steve Ballmer's $44.6 billion offer to buy Yahoo on Jan. 31. Yahoo's repeated rejections and Ballmer's threat of a proxy fight have shifted investor attention from Microsoft's strengths, said Ken Smith, director of technology investment at Munder Capital Management.

``They need to quit fooling around and get the deal done,'' said Smith, whose Birmingham, Michigan-based firm owns Microsoft and Yahoo shares. ``The fundamentals of Microsoft's business are tremendous, but this has really capped the stock.''

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aRMEtAr7HAXk&refer=home

Everyone needs to follow Warren Buffet's strategy for business. Be discreet and act quickly. Microsoft is giving Yahoo way too much time to mount a defense and they, like i said would happen, have fought themselves right into a profitable situation with outsourcing their advertisement to Google.

Microsoft Can Go It Alone

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer is sending more signals to Yahoo shareholders after the company's Tuesday earnings report. Take it or leave it was the message from Milan, Italy.

"We are offering a lot of money," Ballmer said today at a Microsoft conference, according to Bloomberg."If Yahoo's shareholders like it, that's great. We are prepared to go forward without a merger with Yahoo."

Observers, including Citi Investment Research analyst Brent Thill, whom I quoted in today's story, and a portfolio manager quoted by Bloomberg, don't see it that way.

"[Ballmer's] playing hardball, and I don't think he can win,'' Larry Haverty, an associate portfolio manager at Gamco Investors Inc. in Rye, New York, told Bloomberg. "Microsoft is doing very poorly in these businesses; they have to have Yahoo."

http://blog.seattletimes.nwsource.com/techtracks/2008/04/globetrotting_ballmer_says_microsoft_can_go_forwar.html


OK, he admits that Microsoft can go it alone, yet Ballmer still persists even though analysts argue against the move and the price of Microsoft's stock declined directly after the offer went public. Hmmmm......Doesn't make too much sense

Yahoo Value's to Microsoft Not Affected by it's Performance

SKHIRAT, Morocco (AFP) — Steve Ballmer, head of US software giant Microsoft, said Tuesday latest quarterly performance results from the Internet company Yahoo would not influence the price his company was prepared to pay for a takeover.

"We have a strategy for the Internet that we are very excited about," he told a press conference in this Moroccan town launching a new portal product, MSN Maghreb.

"We think we can accelerate our strategy by buying Yahoo and we will pay what makes sense for us to pay for our shareholders.

"I wish Yahoo all success with the results today... but it does not really affect what the value of Yahoo is to Microsoft."

http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5jYZyBLLKTrPwfAmJXvGPX8koOizw

Isn't there a bit of a contradiction on Microsoft's part. On one end, in this article Ballmer says that Yahoo's performance will not affect the price is Microsoft is willing to pay because the price is reflective of Yahoo's worth to Microsoft's strategy.....On the other hand, in a letter wrote to Yahoo's Board of Directors, Microsoft stated that any further delays will result in a lower bid.

Survey of Innovation

Microsoft is a more innovative company than Nintendo or Sony, according to the results of a poll conducted by BusinessWeek.

Apple, which tops the list of the World's 50 Most Innovative Companies, Microsoft (number 4), Nintendo (number 7), and Sony (number 9) were all called out for their innovative products.

The hallmarks of an innovative company, says BusinessWeek, include nurturing culture that values creative people, developing a portfolio of diverse projects, and taking economic risks. \

A company's rank in the survey was determined using the votes from a 17-question survey, three-year revenue, margin growth, and stock returns. The survey was sent to the 2,500 largest corporations by market share; nearly 3,000 executives responded.

http://blog.wired.com/games/2008/04/poll-microsoft.html

Concerning the criteria for how the results from this test were gathered - is it me or is this a very very ineffective and even stupid way of seeing how innovative a company is.

Yahoo's Time Running Out

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Yahoo Inc (YHOO.O: Quote, Profile, Research) faces a critical week that could decide whether the pioneering Web company can remain independent or must surrender to an unsolicited takeover by Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O: Quote, Profile, Research).

Yahoo is racing to forge a credible alternative that lets it stay independent or at least forces Microsoft to raise its $31 a share cash-and-stock bid, now valued at $42.8 billion.

"Yahoo is willing to try things at the 11th hour, that it never felt the urgency to try," Sanford C. Bernstein analyst Jeffrey Lindsay said. "Shareholders win, either way."

http://www.reuters.com/article/reutersEdge/idUSN2036511520080420

I think its foolish of a company to, instead of building a strategy right from the door to wait and try to hit the shot at the buzzer when your still down by 20. What the hell is Jerry Yang thinking.

Microsoft buys Farecast

Microsoft, the world's largest software company, acquired travel Web site Farecast, gaining technology that predicts whether air fares will rise or fall. Farecast Chief Executive Officer Hugh Crean announced the purchase Thursday on the company's blog. He didn't disclose a price or other terms. Microsoft added the Seattle-based company's prediction and planning services to its MSN Travel Web site in July. Microsoft is making acquisitions to attract more Web users and boost online ad revenue. Microsoft is making acquisitions to attract more Web users and boost online ad revenue. After buying AQuantive for $6 billion last year, Microsoft is now trying to acquire Yahoo. The moves are an effort to catch up with Google in the $40.9 billion global online ad market. "We look forward to working closely with the Farecast team to incorporate and apply its technology in new and interesting ways," Whitney Burk, a spokeswoman for Redmond, Wash.-based Microsoft, said in an e-mailed statement. She declined to comment further.

http://www.mercurynews.com/businessheadlines/ci_8982732

How are you supposed to predict air fares.....IF ALL FUCKING FLIGHTS ARE CANCELLED BECAUSE OF BANKRUPTCY. THEY SHOULD GET TECHNOLOGY TO SEE HOW THE PRICES OF STOCKS FOR THESE AIRLINES ARE GOING TO NOSEDIVE OUT OF CONTROL

Ballmer: Vista Sucks

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has admitted that Windows Vista is an incomplete product, even though the operating system has been on the market for more than a year.

Speaking at the firm's annual Most Valuable Professionals event in Seattle yesterday, Big Steve told the gathered crowd that the unloved OS was "a work in progress". According to reports, he also promised that Microsoft would learn from the mistakes it has made with Vista.

"It's a very important piece of work. We did a lot of things right and have a lot of things we need to learn from," said Ballmer. "Certainly, you never want to let five years go between releases."
He acknowledged that "Vista is bigger than XP", but he wasn't referring to the popularity of the product. Instead, he was pinpointing one of the major issues many customers saddled with the product have complained about: performance.

"We have to make sure it doesn't get bigger still and that the performance and the battery and the compatibility we're driving on the things that we need to drive hard to improve."

http://www.channelregister.co.uk/2008/04/18/ballmer_vista_incomplete/

Now I know this is perfect grounds for my usual Vista bashing but instead of that today, I'll just commend Ballmer on his honesty and integrity for identifying faults in a Microsoft product. They don't often do that

Microsoft vs. Alzheimers

Microsoft Research is supporting work into the causes of neurodegenerative illnesses such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's through its Computational Challenges of Genome Wide Association Studies (GWAS) programme.

A second project will attempt to predict and prevent adverse drug responses with prescription medicines.

Microsoft has selected six projects to support out of a total of 40 proposals submitted from 39 academic institutions worldwide.

The goal is to aid researchers in the correlation of genetic patterns with patients' responses to drugs, diseases, aging and the expression of genetic disorders to enable lifesaving research through the use of technology.


http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2214635/microsoft-aims-help-tackle

Great cause marketing scheme. I'm sure the informative/persuasive advertisement will be broad casted through the proper channels soon.

Yahoo's Scenarios

BURLINGAME, CALIF. -- Who knew Yahoo! Chief Executive Jerry Yang had it in him? Two months after Microsoft took its effort to snare Yahoo! public--unveiling a more than US$40-billion offer for the struggling Web portal--Yang has put the company he co-founded at the center of a host of takeover scenarios.

Will Microsoft buy Yahoo! ? Will Yahoo! strike a mega-deal with Google to keep Microsoft away? Or will Yahoo! hook up with AOL? Finally, there's the prospect of Microsoft pulling in News Corp. into the fray to help it nail down Yahoo!.

http://www.financialpost.com/reports/dealmakers/story.html?id=450399

On one of my blogs a couple of months ago, I stated that it is possible that Microsoft will push Yahoo into a corner where it will be forced to look at other options and those options could possibly catapult Yahoo into an again-extremely successful company. This article holds proof that prediction is coming to fruition.

Microsoft Pulling XP

SEATTLE - Microsoft Corp.'s operating systems run most personal computers around the globe and are a cash cow for the world's largest software maker. But you'd never confuse a Windows user with the passionate fans of Mac OS X or even the free Linux operating system. Unless it's someone running Windows XP, a version Microsoft wants to retire.

Fans of the six-year-old operating system set to be pulled off store shelves in June have papered the Internet with blog posts, cartoons and petitions recently. They trumpet its superiority to Windows Vista, Microsoft's latest PC operating system, whose consumer launch last January was greeted with lukewarm reviews.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080414/ap_on_hi_te/microsoft_save_xp

I really hope all these efforts to save Microsoft helps because if not then I'm just going to buy a MacBook. At least I know that I'm not the only one who has such a disdain for Vista

Windows XP Service Pack 3

Microsoft Corp. will release Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3) to computer makers and some IT professionals next week and offer it to all users via Windows Update April 29, according to an internal schedule obtained by the Neowin.net Web site.

Although others had previously pegged SP3's release to the last half of April, Neowin's dates are the most specific seen so far.

According to the site, the service pack will debut April 21, when it's shipped to computer manufacturers, offered to volume licensing customers and posted for download on TechNet and Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN), subscription services for IT staff and developers, respectively.

Most users, however, will first be able to obtain SP3 on April 29, when Microsoft lists it on Windows Update (WU) for download.

http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/144691/microsoft_readies_windows_xp_update.html

Wait.....XP?.....how come I have Vista and others have XP?....i don't care if their computers are older....with XP, theirs still probably runs better. This is not fair.....

Microsoft still #1 Contender

That potential three-way alliance was almost immediately offset by the revelation former Yahoo suitor News Corp was in talks to back Microsoft instead. “Everyone is just exploring. The best option is to accept the Microsoft deal,” Thrivent Financial fund manager Mike Binger told Reuters. “I just see Yahoo as a mature brand and AOL as a declining brand.”

Yahoo’s board met Friday to discuss strategy but a formal decision is unlikely to come prior to a quarterly earnings report slated for 22 April. Yahoo staff is known to be even less keen on an AOL tie than a Microsoft deal, viewing both companies as dusty but AOL as futureless. Shareholders are expected to share that view, despite a proposal to merge Yahoo with AOL's Internet operations in a cash deal that would leave the portal with 80 per cent control and an unspecified wedge of cash.

http://web20.telecomtv.com/pages/?newsid=42982&id=e9381817-0593-417a-8639-c4c53e2a2a10&view=news

I honestly think all this resistance from Yahoo is simply a thing of ego. There is no reason to suspect that this harm Yahoo in any way. They have not been doing a very good job of running themselves and even from the announcement of the deal, their shares jump a considerable percentage so I really am not understanding all the negotiations.

Microsoft vs. EU

The undeclared war between the Microsoft and the European Union has been relatively quiet for the past few months; we haven't heard much from either party since the EU fined Microsoft $1.36 billion. The scarcely settled cauldron between the two organizations, however, is about to receive a good stirring, due to the actions of EU Parliment representative and Green Party member, Heide Rühle. Rühle has filed a question (PDF) with the Parliament, raising the issue of whether the EU's legal findings against the company preclude it from taking part in future public procurement discussions.

Rühle's complaint rests on the fact that Microsoft was convicted in 2004 of "abusing its dominant position in the software market, causing a huge damage both on competitors and consumers." Redmond appealed that decision, but the Court of First Instance (CFI) rejected the company's appeal in September, 2007. Microsoft chose not to appeal that ruling, which, according to Rühle, gives the court's decision res judicata status. The term refers to a situation in which the validity of the court's findings, and the evidence of Microsoft's abuse, is considered settled and is no longer contested.

http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080414-microsoft-may-be-barred-from-eu-public-procurement-procedure.html

I don't know what the hell the European Union has against Microsoft but this fight has gotten to round 2,457. Its getting a little sickening. I really wonder why they have such a vendetta against poor old Bill and Ballmer.

Cheapest Laptop

Microsoft Corp India and HCL Infosystems Ltd have announced a set of joint initiatives, including the launch of world's cheapest Windows enabled laptop computer and the setting up of a center of excellence (CoE) to create a customized solution framework for India.

Making the announcement in Mumbai on Friday, Ajai Chowdhry, chairman and CEO of HCL, said, "The laptop will be launched under HCL's MiLeap brand and will cost Rs 16,990."

Microsoft Corp COO Kevin Turner said that Microsoft and HCL have partnered to promote the use of IT in India for over two decades. According to him, the CoE will have over 500 software professionals who will create and deploy Microsoft technologies in various sectors, such as banking, telecom, defence, and railways.

http://www.tech2.com/india/news/laptps/micrst-hcl-t-launch-wrlds-cheapest-laptp/33851/0

First Microsoft is still offering XP to lower-cost PC's and now they are offering a low-cost laptop. I would not be surprised if Microsoft setups a low-cost SBU sometime in the near future

Microsoft Wins OOXML battle

There's been some heated rhetoric: On April 2, standards organization Ecma International said that Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT)'s Office Open XML garnered positive votes from 75% of ISO/IEC Joint Technology Committee 1 members, making OOXML an official standard. However, opponents vow the fight isn't over. The European Union is investigating the methods Microsoft used to lobby for support, and some countries, including Norway, are crying foul. Serious technical concerns remain, including doubts over Microsoft's maintenance standards.

And much of the industry still cleaves to the Open Document Format (ODF) standard, which is supported by the OpenDoc Society and used in OpenOffice, KOffice, Google (NSDQ: GOOG) Docs, IBM (NYSE: IBM) Lotus Symphony, and other productivity suites.

http://www.informationweek.com/news/software/open_source/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=207100727

Seemingly Microsoft has an opponent for every 1 Gigabyte of software they've ever produced.

Advertisements

In doing assignment 10, I came across these advertisements and I just had to share them somewhere. The first one was actually banned and is hilarious for obvious reasons. The second one is just a really good commercial

Microsoft Growing Impatient

Bloomberg News reports that Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT) has threatened to start a proxy war for Yahoo! (NASDAQ: YHOO) and to drop its offer price if it does not get a response from its board. CNNMoney reports that Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has set a three-week deadline for a response from Yahoo! Microsoft is making noises about cutting its $44.6 billion offer for Yahoo!, arguing that the U.S. economic slowdown has hurt Yahoo!'s business.

Microsoft offered Yahoo! $31 a share on January 31st -- 62% above its price the day before -- and Yahoo! rejected the offer on February 11. Meanwhile, Yahoo! and Microsoft have lost share in the U.S. search market while Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) has gained share. Specifically, Yahoo!'s share fell from 22.2% in January to 21.6% in February while Microsoft 's dropped from 9.8% to 9.6%. Google's rose to 59.2% from 58.5% in January.

The market remains unconvinced and I have little doubt that if the Microsoft deal unravels, Yahoo!'s stock price will drop back to around $19 -- where it was the day before Microsoft announced its bid. And if that happens, Yahoo!'s board will be facing a tidal wave of shareholder lawsuits.

http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2008/04/05/microsoft-grows-impatient-threatens-to-drop-its-offer-price-for/

That last paragraph - Pulitzer Prize material. Couldnt have said it any clearer

More Rumors Concerning Blu-Ray to Deny

Redmond, WA (AHN) - Technology company Microsoft has again quelled rumors of an up-and-coming Xbox 360 running on Blu-ray technology.

A released statement denying the rumors counts as the second time the company has battled against hearsay, all of which circled around the assumption that the Xbox 360 will be adapting to the newer Blu-ray upon the death of its original HD DVD format.

The rumors this time involved technology manufacturer Lite-On, which would supposedly be creating the Blu-ray format products for Microsoft.

"Lite-On is not manufacturing Blu-ray devices for Xbox 360," said a spokesperson for the company, as quoted by Bit-Tech. "As we have stated, games are what are driving consumers to purchase game consoles, and we remain focused on providing the largest library of blockbuster games available."

http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7010536866

This is like the heartbroken boyfriend whose ex is throwing a big party that EVERYONE is going to and no matter how much it seems like the best thing to do, that heartbroken boyfriend just cant commit to doing anything involving any part of that relationship

XP to run on Low-Budget computers

SEATTLE -- Microsoft Corp. said Thursday it will keep selling a version of Windows XP for use on a new breed of low-cost computers for at least two years longer than the older operating system will be available on mainstream PCs.

The software maker said Windows XP Home will be available through June 2010, or for a year beyond the release of the next version of Windows, for computers like Intel Corp.'s Classmate PC and ASUSTek Computer Inc.'s Eee PC. Those machines have smaller hard drives, less memory and slower processors than most Windows computers sold today, and most would have a hard time running the bulkier Windows Vista.

The Classmate PC is currently marketed with Windows XP Professional, and the newest editions sell for between $300 and $500. The Eee PC, which costs around $400, comes with a Linux operating system.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/6420ap_microsoft_xp_extension.html

OK so the lower-income families get to have the better version of Windows while the people who invest a little more in their computers get stuck with Vista. Why don't I just quit my job and stand on the unemployment line, maybe I'll have a computer with software that i can actually stand to tolerate

Hostility in the Air

Microsoft's CEO Steve Ballmer has threatened directly Yahoo's board with a hostile takeover which may reduce the company's value below their initial takeover offer. In a letter, the software leader has said through its ruthless chief executive that it will take those measures if a deal will not be reached within three weeks.

"If we are forced to take an offer directly to your shareholders, that action will have an undesirable impact on the value of your company from our perspective which will be reflected in the terms of our proposal," Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer wrote in a letter sent to Yahoo's board yesterday.

The initial offer made by Microsoft on February 1 was $31 a share, adding up to a grand total of approximately $44.6 billion but after a downfall in Microsoft’s shares, it is now worth about $42 billion, still making it, if finalized, the biggest-ever takeover in the high-tech industry.

http://www.efluxmedia.com/news_Microsoft_Readies_to_Push_Yahoo_for_Hostile_Takeover_16020.html

Its about time that Microsoft backed them into a corner. In my opinion Yahoo should just give up and save the time and energy and possibly even money, fighting a losing battle. Aside from the anti-trust laws, I don't see any possible way that Yahoo could avoid this from happening.

Microsoft says its Not Worried About Apple Smartphone

Microsoft has welcomed Apple's iPhone as a good thing for the smartphone market.

Lynette Kucsma, senior marketing manager for Microsoft's Communications Business group, said at the launch of Windows Mobile 6.1 that the company is "not at all worried by Apple entering the market".

"Apple has opened up awareness of smartphones to a wider market and that helps everyone," she said.

Kucsma explained that Microsoft is also unconcerned about Apple's foray into the business market, maintaining that Apple has a long way to go before it could match Redmond on business software.

http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2213354/microsoft-welcomes-apple

Although this sounds pretty noble and laudable of Microsoft, it also sounds like pure bullshit....Since when has Microsoft never been worried about a competitor being the leader in an industry......I can't help but wonder how long it'll be before Microsoft threatens cingular with a hostile takeover

$368 Million

San Diego, CA. (AHN) - Software giant Microsoft was ordered Friday by a federal court to pay $368 Million in fines for infringing two patents owned by Alcatel-Lucent SA for touch- screen form entry and use of a stylus on computers. Alcatel-Lucent had asked for about $1.75 billion from Microsoft and Dell Inc. after claiming four of its patents were violated. U.S. District Judge Marilyn L. Huff also ruled that Dell infringed the stylus patent and owed Alcatel-Lucent $51,000. The court, however, rejected claims of infringement on two other patents related to video controls.

Based on Bloomberg data, the Alcatel-Lucent verdict stands as the second-biggest patent award this year, and the fifth-biggest in U.S. history. Interestingly, the record is also held Alcatel-Lucent, a $1.52 billion case against Microsoft..

http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7010547050

$368 million.....HA....i wouldn't be surprised if Bill Gates took that out of his pocket as the judge slammed the gavel on this case and then told Alcatel to go kick rocks.

More Antitrust issues For Microsoft

Microsoft may have won a year-long quest to make its Office Open XML document format an ISO-recognized international standard, but claims of foul play in the voting process may come back to haunt the software giant when the European Commission concludes its latest antitrust investigation of Microsoft's business practices.

When the Commission, Europe's top antitrust authority, opened a probe into Microsoft's business practices in January, it said part of the investigation would examine whether OOXML, as the format is known, is "sufficiently interoperable with competitors' products."

A month later the Commission sent a confidential request for information to all the national divisions of the ISO (International Organization for Standardization) in Europe, asking for information about the ongoing process of assessing OOXML.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/02/AR2008040201515.html

1. If Microsoft is innocent in all of these antitrust claims then why does the European Commission seem obsessed with Microsoft
2. If Microsoft is in fact guilty of all of these claims then are they too stupid to get it right. It just cause them a huge percentage of their profit last year....is that not motivation enough

New Surface tabletop Coming to AT&T stores

Microsoft's multitouch Surface tabletop computer may be coming to an AT&T store near you. In the first public deployment of the technology, AT&T will put 22 of Microsoft's Surface computers in four cities around the United States on April 17.

When customers place one or more of eight mobile devices -- not yet including the Apple iPhone -- labeled with a special optical tag onto the Surface, the computer will recognize the objects and let customers explore device features. AT&T has also created another customized application that will allow customers to explore its coverage map, zooming in and out and navigating across the country by using hand gestures on the Surface's multitouch screen.

Initially, AT&T will deploy the Surface computers in two stores in New York as well as one each in San Antonio, Atlanta, and San Francisco. If customers warm to the application, AT&T is looking to expand to more cities and stores moving forward.

http://www.informationweek.com/news/mobility/business/showArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=3XBZK2K1W2BJCQSNDLOSKHSCJUNN2JVN?articleID=207001259&_requestid=273736

Microsoft is seemingly tiptoeing their way into the mobile device world, first with windows programs compatible with phones now an interactive device for exploring the features of compatible mobile phones

Microsoft New Zealand Sets Revenue Record at $64 million

Microsoft New Zealand has reported a 20 per cent jump in profits on record revenues, which were up 18 per cent.

Managing director Kevin Ackhurst meanwhile confirmed he had been shoulder-tapped to take a leading-role in establishing a new representative body for the ICT industry.

The subsidiary posted a profit of $6.5 million on sales of $64.6 million for the year to June, up from a profit of $5.4 million on sales of $54.8 million in 2006.

Profits are still short of the record set in 2003, when the subsidiary made $9.6 million.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/4455889a28.html

Setting records: who cares
Setting records in places no one cares about: now that's cool. two thumbs up for the MD

Microsoft hopes Update will Stimulate Vista Sales

Mar. 31, 2008 (Investor's Business Daily delivered by Newstex) --

Microsoft's year-old Windows Vista operating system could get a boost now that Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) has issued the first set of bug fixes for the product.

Many users, particularly businesses and other enterprises, won't consider installing a new Microsoft MSFT operating system until the company has released at least one set of fixes, which the industry calls a service pack.

Windows Vista Service Pack 1 has been available for download from Microsoft's Windows Update Web site since March 18. Microsoft plans to push the fixes out to Windows Vista users who have chosen to get automatic updates starting in mid-April. PC makers have begun to include the updates on new PCs.

Service Pack 1, or SP1, addresses some of the biggest complaints about the new operating system, particularly performance, reliability and support for newer hardware and standards.


http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/newstex/IBD-0001-24108187.htm

It seems as if Microsoft has been trying to force people to adapt to Vista. There is no reason that customers still have to offer their consumers the predecessor platform, Windows XP, due to consumer demand. That's a sure sign that something is wrong with Vista and should be completely revised or replaced.

Inching Towards a Recession

March 28, 8:52 am ET By Martin Crutsinger, AP Economics Writer

Consumer Spending Posts Weakest Gain in 17 Months in February

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Consumers, jolted by a credit crisis, job cuts and soaring energy costs, turned in the weakest spending performance in 17 months in February, further evidence that the risks of a recession are increasing.

The Commerce Department said Friday that consumer spending edged up by just 0.1 percent last month, the poorest showing since September 2006. And if the effects of inflation are removed, spending was flat in February, the third consecutive month of sluggish activity.

The performance of the consumer is closely watched since consumer spending accounts for two-thirds of total economic activity. Economists said the sustained weakness in this area is one of the most worrisome signs that the economy could be tipping into a recession.

The prolonged slump in housing, rising job layoffs, soaring energy costs and a severe credit crisis are taking their toll on consumer confidence. All of these troubles are causing consumers to cut back on their purchases.

http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/080328/economy.html

Signs of A Recession
1. Consumer spending increased just .1% in February, the worst in 17 months
a- if inflation was removed, the spending was flat
b- consumer spending accounts for 2/3's of total economic activity
2. Housing Slump
3. Rise in job layoffs
a- consumers cut jobs for a second consecutive month in February
4. Increasing energy costs
5. Credit Crisis
6. Fed aggressively cutting interest rates
7. The mere fact that the Government has issued an Economic Stimulus Package

Microsoft Giving Penalties for Xbox Cheaters

""CounterStrike" is widely popular in India; but by no means is it all 'fair play'. If anything, the game's seen a surge in the number of 'hackers' -- that one word given to all those who use cheat software to play good when they can't even 'pwn' a child in a fair manner.

In turn, truly fair players (if at all they exist) and server administrators have been driven sick and tired by the antics of these 'hackers'. Maybe, just maybe, Valve can take a leaf out of what Xbox Live is doing...
Last year itself, Xbox had issued warning to players who stole identities and tampered with achievements. Taking this a step further, Microsoft yesterday took action against those found guilty of 'bumping up' their Gamerscores and achievements.

Several accounts were affected adversely. Punishments meted out ranged from resetting of Gamerscores to public shaming to permanent banning or all of these. Microsoft has listed all cheaters in a public hall of shame at http://xboxlivecheaters.com/. The list is being regularly updated as more and more cheaters get added on to it."

http://www.techtree.com/India/News/Microsoft_Cracks_Down_on_Game_Cheats/551-87968-585.html

I commend Microsoft for this. They're bringing their awareness down to the gaming level and I'm sure they will be rewarded with it in the future. Everyone hates a cheater and I know a couple of gaming freaks personally and they're passionate about video games so I'm sure the video game culture is praising Microsoft for this act.

Microsoft Eyeing iPhone for Apps

"Microsoft recently told Fortune magazine that it is looking at developing software for the iPhone.

It was only inevitable that Microsoft would be trying to cash in on the popularity of the iPhone, especially after the release of the iPhone SDK. The iPhone SDK gives Microsoft the opportunity to jump on the millions of people using the iPhone without having to work with Apple, at least directly. The SDK gives Microsoft the ability to produce suites of Office and other applications for the iPhone.

Don't sign the paperwork, yet. Microsoft's team of Mac developers has only been looking at the iPhone SDK for a week or so now and deciding whether or not the opportunity exists to produce applications for the iPhone and iPod Touch."

http://blogs.pcworld.com/staffblog/archives/006698.html

Soon we're just going to witness Microsoft breaking into Apple and Google territory, Google breaking into Microsoft and Apple territory, and Apple breaking into that of Google and Microsoft. Whatever the result, I'm sure its going to be great for the consumers.

Gates Forecasts rapid change

In the next decade, computer interaction will advance, TV will be based on Internet, he says
09:30 AM CDT on Monday, March 24, 2008

Associated Press

In a recent speech Microsoft Corp. chairman Bill Gates speculated that some of the most important technological advances of the next decade will come in the ways people interact with computers: speech-recognition technology, tablets that will recognize handwriting and touch-screen surfaces that will integrate a wide variety of information.

"I don't see anything that will stop the rapid advance," Mr. Gates told the Northern Virginia Technology Council

He noted that technological change driven by academia and corporate researchers continued even after the Internet stock bubble burst in 2000.

He also said the coming years will bring rapid changes in media as television increasingly becomes a targeted medium, where viewers can select niche content for news, sports and entertainment.

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/ptech/stories/DN-gatestalk_23emp.ART.State.Edition1.463b48c.html

Sometimes I start to feel that all this change is a bit frightening considering the speed at which all this change is occurring. Soon there won't even be a need for the good ole' pen and paper.

Microsoft not looking towards blu-ray

Ian Lamont writes
"Ever since Toshiba stopped production of HD DVD players, many Xbox 360 owners have been wondering when Microsoft will offer some sort of Blu-ray option for the Xbox 360. The answer: Probably never. Microsoft's product manager for the Xbox 360 has told Reuters that Microsoft is not in talks with Sony or the Blu-ray Association. Why not? The Industry Standard points to HDi, an obscure Microsoft technology that was part of the HD DVD interactivity layer. HDi may be dead on physical media, but it could potentially be applied to other Microsoft HD-compatible technologies such as Xbox Live Arcade and Windows Media Center, and be part of a long-term play to own a big share of the market for HD content delivered over the Internet."

http://slashdot.org/article.pl?no_d2=1&sid=08/03/24/1416204

I'm not sure what HDi is or what it does but if it saves the consumer from having to buy a blu-ray attachment then i'm all for it

Microsoft aimed at Patching Bug

March 22, 2008 (Computerworld)
Microsoft Corp. yesterday warned of a critical vulnerability that affects users of Word running on Windows 2000, XP and Server 2003 SP1 -- several weeks after one security company first reported an exploit and a day after a second vendor confirmed ongoing attacks.

In an advisory posted Friday, Microsoft acknowledged "public reports of very limited, targeted attacks" that exploit a bug in the Microsoft Jet Database Engine, a Windows component that provides data access to applications including Microsoft Access and Visual Basic.
According to Symantec Corp., however, the attacks Microsoft described used malicious Word 2000, 2002, 2003 and 2007 documents, which in turn call up the vulnerable Jet .dll (Dynamic Link Library file).

"We believe that the issue being described [by Microsoft] is one described on March 20, 2008, by Elia Florio of Symantec Security Response," the security firm told customers of its DeepSight threat-analysis network on Saturday. "He notes a recent discovery, by Panda Security, of a possible zero-day exploit observed in the wild."

http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9070840


I commend Microsoft for their swift movement on fixing this infectious bug that is going around. If everyone company took action after just two complaints, maybe they would be raking in $50 billion a year in revenue

10 Improvements for Microsoft 7

"On Monday, I highlighted 10 things I told Microsoft about Windows Vista and what it needed to succeed Windows XP.

Commenter bigAPE complained: "If the author is such a visionary why is he writing blogs instead of the next Windows OS?" The commenter called the post another "told you so article." I gave the advice before Vista shipped, and it was mostly right. I didn't second-guess afterward. Anyone who followed my analyst blog between 2004-2006 would have seen this advice spread out among various posts.

But bigAPE has a point about making a positive contribution. So, once again, I offer my advice to Microsoft, this time for Windows 7. I encourage Microsoft Watch readers to do the same with their comments.

These 10 things intentionally mirror those from Monday's post.

1. Windows 7 has to be a whole lot better than Windows Vista. Better doesn't mean tons more features. CDs replaced vinyl records because of perceived better audio quality, small disc size and greater convenience. The older analog technology actually delivered better fidelity because it captured the full sound wave; the digital successor samples and compresses the sound wave. DVDs rapidly replaced VHS tapes for similar reasons. The experience was much better.

Microsoft's first priority should be reducing complexity. There, the Zune Marketplace UI has shown one way. The software/service is highly functional and fun, yet sharply streamlined compared with iTunes or Windows Media Player. Windows 7 should emphasize simplicity while hiding complexity. For example, must there really be 50 icons in Control Panel?

Any process requiring more than two mouse clicks is too complicated. Every Wizard is unnecessary. Windows 7 must wring the complexity out of the user interface. Microsoft can make Windows 7 more compelling by radically—and I mean RADICALLY—changing the UI. The old motif has got to go, and its replacement shouldn't be one motif but several. I'll explain more in No. 5 and 6. "

http://www.microsoft-watch.com/content/vista/10_ways_microsoft_can_make_windows_7_lucky.html


Microsoft should hire this guy to just sit in the board room and throw his ideas and responses around. His criticism of Microsoft's vista product is probably what everyone was saying when Vista was released and everyone had their trial with it.

Microsoft releases Vista update

"Microsoft has released a service update for all versions of its Windows Vista operating system.

The computer giant claims that the update improves the stability, security and performance of the software.

The update, or service pack, includes some fixes released before now and adds many new ones as well.

Microsoft has warned that the update could clash with some security software and other programs customers may have installed on their machine. "

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7304830.stm

Note to Microsoft, effective: immediately: BANISH VISTA FROM THE FACE OF THIS EARTH

Microsoft Still Losing In Search War

"Other than a slight jump last summer during a Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) contest called Live Search Club, Microsoft's share of Internet searches in the United States has been consistently flat or declining over the last three years. That trend continued in February, as it lost another 0.2% of searches as compared to total search pie, according to comScore.

There have been repeated shake-ups of Microsoft's search strategy in the last few years, with the company first moving from MSN Search to Live Search, and then creating an entirely new organization for search and advertising, run by Microsoft senior VP Satya Nadella.

Last September, the company held an event called Searchification to unveil an entirely re-architected version of its search engine. Live Search 2.0 was supposed to provide more relevant query results and an easier-to-use interface. But these moves have meant little in terms of Microsoft's success in making inroads against Google."


http://www.informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=206904918

Microsoft, in my opinion needs to simply give up the search war because it seems that the more innovations and ideas they come up with to become a competitor, the more they fall further behind than they already were.

China's Alibaba plans to buy Yahoo-held stake amid Microsoft bid

"Chinese e-commerce firm Alibaba is in advanced talks with investors to buyout a 39 percent stake in the company held by Yahoo to help ensure future independence, the Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday.

The plan is aimed at increasing Alibaba's management independence if software giant Microsoft Corp acquires Yahoo and as a result also obtains the large stake in Alibaba, the newspaper said, citing unnamed sources.

Alibaba executives are concerned that Microsoft's size and history of hands-on management could jeopardise its autonomy and its image as a Chinese company, it said."

http://news.theage.com.au/chinas-alibaba-plans-to-buy-yahooheld-stake-amid-microsoft-bid-report/20080320-20k1.html


Microsoft seems to have become the bully of the business world. When you have companies running to avoid being taken over......that's impressive.

IE8

Something's gotten into Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) lately. Its developers are singing like canaries about their plans for Internet Explorer 8. Earlier this month, Microsoft released IE8 Beta 1, which is intended mainly as an early look for Web developers. It's quite a change for a product that seemed to have gone dark in the days after Vista's release.

All during 2007, Microsoft said basically nothing about what it was doing for the next version of its flagship browser. The paucity of substantial blog entries on the IE Blog left some doubt whether Microsoft was doing anything at all, besides IE7 security patches. The blog hit bottom in early December 2007, with a content-free post that announced the successor to IE7 would be called IE8. That same day, Molly Holschlag got a chance to interview Bill Gates about the lack of IE8 information coming out of Microsoft. Gates' response: "I'll have to ask Dean [Hachamovitch, general manager of the IE8 project] what the hell is going on."


http://www.informationweek.com/blog/main/archives/2008/03/microsoft_light.html

Hopefully the introduction of the IE8 will shed some light on the small dark era after the release of Vista. From what I've read about it so far, it seems to be the best Internet Explorer version to date. The building of anticipation is also a good strategy, needless to say, on Microsoft's part.

Microsoft buys Ad Inventory Company

"Microsoft (nasdaq: MSFT - news - people ) has bought San Francisco-based ad a company Rapt. Terms were not disclosed.

The company, which provides ad inventory management systems, will be integrated with the Atlas Publisher Suite, under Microsoft’s Advertiser and Publisher Solutions Group.

Atlas became part of Microsoft when it bought aQuantive (nasdaq: AQNT - news - people ) for $6 billion last year. "

http://www.forbes.com/technology/2008/03/14/microsoft-rapt-ads-tech-cx_pco_0314paidcontent.html

Is anyone else starting to think that Microsoft is envious of Google. They buy DoubleClick, Microsoft buys Rapt. On the bright side though, its so cool to buy someone who you were a client of.

Microsoft and Yahoo Discuss Possibilities

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Senior executives from Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) and Yahoo Inc (YHOO.O) met on Monday to discuss Microsoft's takeover bid for the company, according to two people familiar with the matter.

The meeting was said to be the first since Microsoft made its unsolicited offer for Yahoo, worth nearly $42 billion, on January 31. Yahoo rejected the offer as inadequate last month.

The meeting was not a negotiation and no bankers were present, said one of the sources, who was not authorized to speak about the matter and thus wanted to remain anonymous.

The meeting with Microsoft is part of the company's strategy to keep all its options open, the people familiar with the matter said.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/14/AR2008031402079.html


Although it is said that News Corp's Rupert Murdoch will not fight Microsoft over Yahoo and that Time Warner has no intention in acquiring Yahoo, history has proven that nothing is done until its done, especially a company that is not satisfied in its current state - Yahoo. So one upside to this waiting game for Yahoo is that it could leave them with multiple options.

Vista "Aero" inspired keyboard

"Microsoft is bringing "the beauty of Windows Aero from the PC to the devices that surround it" with its latest keyboard and mouse desktop set, the Wireless Laser Desktop 7000, designed to complement Vista.

The new desktop set includes an ultrathin Comfort Curve keyboard and rechargeable mouse, the keyboard features a Windows Aero-inspired translucent design, floating Hot Keys and instant access to Windows Flip 3D, which MS says makes this desktop a purty darn near perfect match for Vista PCs."

http://news.sky.com/skynews/xml/article/tech/0,,91221-13372,00.html

The best thing Microsoft could come up with is a translucent border and a My Favorites key?.......too busy playing hard to get with Yahoo I see.

Microsoft Adopting Blu-Ray

"With the HD-DVD high-definition video format dead, Microsoft (MSFT) is moving to make amends with Sony (SNE) and make its operating system and Xbox 360 console compatible with the victorious Blu-ray format. According to a piece in last week’s Financial Times, Sony Electronics US president Stan Glasgow said his company was holding discussions with both Microsoft and Apple (AAPL) about adopting the format.

Now, Microsoft’s own Steve Ballmer is saying it’s time “to move on,” as if the company was reeling from a bad break up. At the Mix08 conference he said, “We’ve already been working on, for example, in Windows, device driver support for Blu-ray drives and the like, and I think the world moves on.”"

http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/gamesinc/archives/2008/03/after_le_divorc.html

I think Microsoft should create a Blu-Ray add-on for all of its products which previously accommodated HD DVD's. If they're going to move on, they might as well move on full steam ahead. I also find it interesting how a product dominance in one industry could have such a broad ripple effect in multiple industries.