microsoft

Legal
September 20, 2013
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Microsoft CEO Ballmer Google Criticism

Ballmer calls Google a ‘monopoly’ that should come under antitrust scrutiny

By about 9 hours ago.

Ballmer calls Google a ‘monopoly’ that should come under antitrust scrutiny

Microsoft has been flushing money down the drain trying to make Bing a legitimate threat to Google over the years but outgoing CEO Steve Ballmer says there’s a very good reason for it: If Microsoft doesn’t try to compete with Google in the search realm then no one will. The Verge reports that Ballmer on Thursday lashed out at Google and called its dominance over the search market a monopoly that should face some kind of antitrust regulations. More →

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Tablets
September 20, 2013
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Microsoft Surface 2 Pricing

Microsoft to reportedly give Surface 2 same $500 entry price as original Surface RT

By on September 20, 2013 at 11:40 AM.

Microsoft to reportedly give Surface 2 same $500 entry price as original Surface RT

If doing the same thing over and over again while expecting different results is the definition of insanity, then Microsoft may have completely lost its mind. After Microsoft’s original Surface RT turned out to be one of the tech world’s biggest duds of the last year and forced the company to write off a whopping $900 million, many expected it would price the upcoming Surface 2 more competitively, especially after the company said that it was willing to slash the price of the first Surface RT just to get it into consumers’ hands. More →

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mobile
September 20, 2013
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Microsoft Windows RT Phablets

Microsoft trying to make Windows RT work as a phablet OS

By on September 20, 2013 at 8:45 AM.

Microsoft trying to make Windows RT work as a phablet OS

Think consumers are confused by the differences between Windows 8, Windows Phone 8 and Windows RT? Just wait until Microsoft unleashes Windows RT: Phablet Edition. ZDNet reports that Microsoft is still trying to find uses for its tablet-only Windows RT platform, which has of late become even less relevant now that Intel has come out with its line of power-saving Haswell chips that should give a major power boost to tablets running on Windows 8. Microsoft’s solution, says ZDNet, is to make Windows RT the go-to platform for Windows phablets by blending elements of the operating system in with Windows Phone. The good news about this is that it will pave the way for Microsoft to have a single common store for Windows Phone and Windows RT apps that will presumably run on both platforms.

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Business
September 19, 2013
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Microsoft COO Turner Windows Phone

Microsoft says Windows Phone is a ‘distant third,’ admits OEMs were annoyed by Surface

By on September 19, 2013 at 4:57 PM.

Microsoft says Windows Phone is a ‘distant third,’ admits OEMs were annoyed by Surface

Microsoft is making a big shift from being a software company to being a devices and services company, which means that we should expect the firm to have its fair share of hiccups over the next few quarters. Paul Thurrott reports via Twitter that Microsoft COO Kevin Turner admitted during the company’s financial analyst meeting on Thursday that Microsoft has had its fair share of growing pains with its new business model and said that the company in particular has a lot of work to do with Windows Phone, which he said was a “distant third” behind iOS and Android. More →

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Business
September 19, 2013
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Nokia CEO Elop Compensation $25 Million

Elop to get $25 million payday once Microsoft-Nokia deal is sealed

By on September 19, 2013 at 12:40 PM.

Elop to get $25 million payday once Microsoft-Nokia deal is sealed

Stephen Elop has a lot riding on the $7.2 billion Microsoft-Nokia deal getting done. Bloomberg Businessweek reports that Microsoft and Nokia will combine to pay the former Nokia CEO more than $25 million once the two companies wrap up their deal for Nokia’s handset and services divisions. Although Nokia was not in good shape when Elop took over as CEO back in 2010, many investors still found some of his decisions during his tenure — in particular the choice to go solely with Windows Phone and his continued emphasis on carrier exclusives for flagship devices — to be questionable at best. Elop is now considered a leading candidate to replace outgoing Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, who plans to retire within the next year.

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Business
September 19, 2013
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Microsoft iOS Android Trade-In Program $350

Microsoft will now give you up to $350 for your iOS, Android devices

By on September 19, 2013 at 11:40 AM.

Microsoft will now give you up to $350 for your iOS, Android devices

Microsoft really, really wants you to try its mobile products. ZDNet reports that Microsoft has now ramped up the money it’s giving to consumers who trade in their old smartphones and tablets and is now offering them up to $350 that they can use to buy a Windows Phone smartphone or a Windows-based tablet or PC. Although Microsoft last week said it would only give customers up to $200 in credits for their used iPads, it seems the company is now letting interested buyers trade in iPhones, iPads, BlackBerrys and Android devices to get credits for Microsoft products. Microsoft has not yet said when or if the trade-in program will expire, ZDNet says.

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Computers
September 17, 2013
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Windows 8.1 Price

Windows 8.1 pricing and packaging revealed, upgrade plans detailed

By on September 17, 2013 at 4:05 PM.

Windows 8.1 pricing and packaging revealed, upgrade plans detailed

One month out from release, Microsoft has announced the official pricing and packaging for Windows 8.1 The newest version of the Windows operating system will be available as a free download for Windows 8 users starting on October 17th from the Windows Store. All of the features Microsoft announced earlier this year will be included in the update. Windows users who do not currently run Windows 8 will be able to buy the upgrade online or at a brick and mortar retailer. Windows 8.1 will cost $119.99 and Windows 8.1 Pro will cost $199.99. Windows 8.1 Pro Pack, which adds Pro features to the regular version of the software, will cost $99.99. More →

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mobile
September 16, 2013
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Microsoft Anti-iPhone Ads

Microsoft admits last week’s anti-iPhone ads were awful

By on September 16, 2013 at 9:45 AM.

Microsoft admits last week’s anti-iPhone ads were awful

If there is one leading technology company that has learned not all press is good press this year, it’s probably Microsoft. Following the public relations nightmare that was the Xbox One debut, Microsoft last week published a series of promotional anti-Apple videos that it had to pull less than a day later when scores of viewers found them offensive. The videos were filmed from the perspective of a fly on the wall as executives pitched Apple’s top brass on the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c, but viewers seemed to think they were in poor taste. According to a subsequent statement from Microsoft, it appears as though the company agrees. “[The campaign] was intended to be a lighthearted poke at our friends from Cupertino. But it was off the mark, and we’ve decided to pull it down,” a Microsoft spokesperson told CNET. One video from the series can be watched here.

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Business
September 13, 2013
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Microsoft Nokia Merger Android Lumia

Nokia reportedly developed an Android Lumia before Microsoft swooped in

By on September 13, 2013 at 4:40 PM.

Nokia reportedly developed an Android Lumia before Microsoft swooped in

Everyone who was screaming for Nokia to build an Android phone may have gotten their wish if the company hadn’t sold off its handset business to Microsoft earlier this month. Unnamed sources tell The New York Times that “a team within Nokia had Android up and running on the company’s Lumia handsets well before Microsoft and Nokia began negotiating Microsoft’s… acquisition of Nokia’s mobile phone and services business.” Although the Times‘ sources say that the Android Lumia wasn’t a factor in Microsoft’s decision to buy Nokia’s handset division, Microsoft was apparently aware of the device and knew that Nokia might choose to release it as a fallback option if Windows Phone 8 didn’t pan out.

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mobile
September 13, 2013
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Microsoft iPhone Parody Video

Video: Microsoft roasts Apple for lack of innovation in iPhone 5s, 5c [updated]

By on September 13, 2013 at 3:15 PM.

Video: Microsoft roasts Apple for lack of innovation in iPhone 5s, 5c [updated]

Microsoft has done a lot of Samsung-esque Apple mocking in recent ads that have produced mixed results at best. Microsoft’s latest video depicts a supposed “fly on the wall” at Apple’s Cupertino headquarters as two Apple employees pitch new iPhone ideas to their new superiors. The video does get some legitimate shots in — the line about Apple going out of its way to explain how the iPhone 5c’s plastic casing doesn’t really feel like plastic certainly rings true — but the execution is on the whole rather awkward and lacks the polish of Samsung’s classic Apple-roasting ads. Plus, unlike Samsung, most of Microsoft’s ventures in the mobile world have been duds so far and thus take some of the bite from the company’s attempt at parody. The full video follows below. More →

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Tablets
September 12, 2013
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Microsoft iPad Trade Program

Microsoft will give you $200 for your iPad

By on September 12, 2013 at 5:40 PM.

Microsoft will give you $200 for your iPad

Apple’s iPad has dominated the tablet space since it launched, but just in case you’re in the market for a change, Microsoft has posted a new offer at participating company stores that will allow you to trade in a “gently used iPad 2, 3, or 4″ for a gift card starting at $200. Microsoft does not mention a value limit for the offers in its advertisement, but if you want to take advantage of this deal, you will have to complete the trade-in in person at a Microsoft store. The promotion started on September 5th and will last through October 27th, over a month after the company’s planned Surface 2 launch event on September 23rd. The Surface RT currently retails for $349 and the Surface Pro costs $799.

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Tablets
September 12, 2013
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Windows Tablet Fall Lineup

Windows 8.1 tablet lineup revealed ahead of Microsoft event

By on September 12, 2013 at 4:15 PM.

Windows 8.1 tablet lineup revealed ahead of Microsoft event

Microsoft is currently preparing to announce its new Surface devices on September 23rd, but its hardware partners are also hard at work on their own Windows tablets. Paul Thurrott of WinSuperSite has gathered information from his sources to put together an extensive preview of the Windows tablet fall lineup. Many of the tablets have been detailed in the past, but several have never been seen before, including the Nokia Sirius tablet shown in the picture below. The other tablets listed are as follows: Acer W3-810, ASUS Transformer Book Trio T100TA, Dell Venue, an unnamed Dell tablet, Lenovo Miix 8, Lenovo Miix 2, and Toshiba Encore. Each of these tablets will run on Windows 8.1 and Intel’s new Bay Trail processor. Thurrott also reports that Microsoft plans to release a “Surface mini”  that will have an 8-inch screen and will ship later in the year after Microsoft has already released the Surface 2 and Surface 2 Pro. More →

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Services
September 12, 2013
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Microsoft Cortana Release Date 2014

Microsoft looks to release its own version of Siri in 2014

By on September 12, 2013 at 1:45 PM.

Microsoft looks to release its own version of Siri in 2014

Microsoft is playing catch-up with Apple and Google again. ZDNet reports that Microsoft plans to release Cortana, a new voice-enabled personal assistant program, in early 2014. ZDNet says that Cortana “is central to what Microsoft is doing to compete with Apple’s Siri and Google Now” and that it “will be able to learn and adapt, relying on machine-learning technology and the ‘Satori’ knowledge repository powering Bing.” Cortana is seemingly more ambitious than either Siri or Google Now, however, as Microsoft envisions it as the core interface with future versions of Windows, Windows Phone and even its Xbox operating system. ZDNet notes that Cortana is a big reason why Microsoft isn’t selling Bing off anytime soon even though it’s been a perpetual money-loser for the company.

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