Friday, November 13, 2009 4:37 PM/CST
Microsoft announced at the Monaco Media Forum in Monte Carlo that it would roll out branded desktop wallpapers and gadgets in conjunction with media partners ranging from Coca-Cola to Twentieth Century Fox. Although advertising is ubiquitous in modern society, PC users' perceptions of their devices as intensely personal objects may impede certain advertisers from occupying massive amounts of user-interface real estate.
Monday, November 09, 2009 12:27 PM/CST
Microsoft continued the "New Efficiency" theme, originally voiced by CEO Steve Ballmer, during the company's TechEd Europe conference. During the keynote address, Microsoft Business Division President Stephen Elop suggested that Exchange Server 2010 would help businesses improve efficiency and increase productivity on the way to fueling growth. Microsoft also displayed a few whimsical videos during the conference that proved, well, rather eccentric.
Monday, November 02, 2009 5:02 PM/CST
Microsoft's most recent deal, with OpenX Technologies, which will see OpenX promoting Microsoft's Content Ads, is another partnership on Redmond's part designed to more effectively challenge Google in the online space. Just as with its July Yahoo deal, Microsoft could see partnerships as the best way to gain market share in online search and advertising.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009 3:09 PM/CST
As the launch of Windows 7 finally nears, a number of surveys indicate that IT administrators and other pros within the enterprise are interested in adopting the operating system into their IT infrastructure. Features such as XP Mode are considered selling points, although a weak economy could also slow the rate of tech refresh for some cash-strapped businesses.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009 5:20 PM/CST
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer hinted during an event in San Francisco on Sept. 29 that businesses would find themselves compelled to upgrade to Windows 7 in order to increase their efficiency and survive in a moribund economy. Microsoft is depending on a massive tech refresh, along with widespread business adoption of its new product lines, to reverse a declining revenue trend.
Friday, September 18, 2009 4:30 PM/CST
Microsoft's rollout of its limited technical preview of Office Web Apps, its online productivity suite meant to challenge Google Apps and other cloud-based applications, raises a few key questions: How much of a hit will Microsoft's bottom line take because of its free service? Can it hurt Google? And will you use it?
Wednesday, September 09, 2009 3:46 PM/CST
Microsoft has confirmed that a leaked slide deck for Best Buy employees, demonstrating the ways in which Windows 7-equipped PCs are supposedly superior to Linux-loaded devices, is in fact genuine. The slides suggest a possible strategy for Microsoft with its retail stores as it moves into a fall season that could see it competing against not only the Apple Store, but Best Buy as well.
Wednesday, September 02, 2009 5:11 PM/CST
With the release date of Windows 7 approaching, Microsoft seems to be doing everything in its power to consign Windows Vista, its much-maligned current operating system, to the dustbin. A number of recent events, including a joint presentation with Intel and the release of a 90-day Windows 7 trial to IT professionals, suggest that Microsoft will launch initiatives on a number of fronts to ensure that this happens.
Monday, August 31, 2009 12:54 PM/CST
Microsoft is hosting "Screw Google" meetings among its lobbyists and public-relations contractors in Washington, DC, according to unnamed sources quoted in a Daily Finance article. The chatter illustrates how Microsoft, as a huge conglomerate, finds itself battling on multiple fronts against companies ranging from Google and Apple to VMware and open-source vendors.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009 12:12 PM/CST
Google has released Caffeine, an early-version "tweak" that supposedly super-charges the search engine. As analysts and pundits draw comparisons to Microsoft's Bing, it seems that Caffeine represents more of an under-the-hood upgrade than a direct challenge to Bing's various features.
