Microsoft to open own flagship stores, take on Apple

MICROSOFT has announced plans to open its own chain of branded stores as it looks to catch up with rival Apple’s successful move into retailing. The world’s largest software company, which also makes the Xbox video game console and the Zune digital music player, did not say how many stores it was looking to open, or when, or which of its products would be on sale. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted by Posted in: Tech and Gadgets No Comments » February 2009

China Jails Multibillion-Dollar Piracy Ring

A Chinese court has convicted 11 people involved in a massive piracy ring that, if it were a legitimate business, would have been a significant retail outlet in its own right — raking in more than $2 billion for selling counterfeit software.

The Futian People’s Court handed down sentences on Tuesday ranging from 1.5 years to 6.5 years in prison, including the longest sentences handed down in China’s history for this type of crime.

The 11 sentenced had been arrested by Chinese authorities in July 2007, following an investigation led by the FBI and China’s Public Security Bureau (PSB).

The scale of the criminals’ operation had been huge, with counterfeit software found in 36 countries on five continents. Investigators found fake but high-quality versions of 19 of Microsoft’s most popular products, produced in at least 11 languages.

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Source: Internet News

Posted by Posted in: Tech and Gadgets Comments Off January 2009

Microsoft in talks to buy Yahoo search at $20 bln

The on again off again courtship between Yahoo and Microsoft has taken another turn. The Redmond software giant, is in talks to buy Yahoo Inc.’s search business for $20 billion. Microsoft does not plan to bid for all of the Internet-services giant, after it abandoned a $47.5 billion proposal last summer. Under a deal the companies are planning, Microsoft also would support new management for Yahoo, possibly led by Jonathan Miller, the former chairman and chief executive of AOL. Two weeks ago, Jerry Yang, Yahoo’s co-founder, stepped down as CEO.

Posted by Mark Griffin Posted in: Tech and Gadgets Comments Off December 2008

Microsoft has officially retired Windows 3.1

“An application has expectedly quit. Windows 3.x has come to the closing moments of its long life. On 1 November Microsoft stopped issuing licences for the software that made its debut in May 1990 in the US. The various versions of Windows 3.x (including 3.11) released in the early 1990s, were the first of Microsoft’s graphical user interfaces ..”

read more | digg story

Posted by Posted in: Tech and Gadgets No Comments » November 2008

Top 10 Microsoft Moments

On the 25th anniversary of the Windows operating system, TIME looks back at some of Microsoft’s biggest wins — and its worst mistakes

read more | digg story

Posted by Posted in: Tech and Gadgets No Comments » November 2008

New Microsoft ad I’m PC – Not Alone

The third ad for Microsoft’s new campaign. “Not Alone” and in this ad no Jerry Seinfeld this time. Bill Gates makes a brief appearance. The main message here is that PC users are in all walks of life and are not the typical stereotyped user some would have you believe.

Posted by Mark Griffin Posted in: Tech and Gadgets No Comments » September 2008

New Family – Jerry Seinfeld and Bill Gates

The second ad for Microsoft’s new campaign. I like the hidden humor in the commercial, but I still don’t see where this ad campaign is going. Maybe these first 2 ads are just to get people watching. I’m interested to see where this goes for all that money. Will they go with the merits of a PC or bag the opposition?

Posted by Mark Griffin Posted in: Tech and Gadgets No Comments » September 2008

Latest Microsoft & Apple Ads

Microsoft has started its new ad campaign featuring its founder Bill Gates and sitcom star Jerry Seinfeld.

This is part of a new USD $300 million ad campaign being developed for Microsoft, which is aimed at combating the public’s poor perception of the company’s latest PC operating system Windows Vista. Vista has been continually slammed in the media since its release as being hard to use compared with rival products from Apple.

I watched the ad and well its quirky and a little strange at best. Will this campaign help restore faith in Vista just in time for the release of the next version of windows or will it die a horrible slow death?

At least I’m glad to see Microsoft get up off the deck and at least return serve to the Apple Mac v PC ads that have been so successful. These star the totally annoying dweeb Justin Long who is supposed to represent the Mac and the fantastic John Hodgman repping the PC. I just love the role John Hodgman plays, he just makes it.

The latest Get A Mac vs PC ad is “Off The Air” so check it out.

Posted by Mark Griffin Posted in: Tech and Gadgets 1 Comment » September 2008

Yahoo shares fall 15 percent after Microsoft deal exit

Shares of Yahoo Inc tumbled 21 percent in pre-market trade on Monday after Microsoft Corp withdrew its $47.5 billion takeover offer for the Internet search and media company.
The decline also followed Citibank’s downgrade on Yahoo shares to “sell” from “buy”.

The stock tumbled to $22.65 on Monday morning. The shares rose nearly 7 percent to $28.67 on Friday on hopes of an agreement between Microsoft and Yahoo.

Yahoo shares fell 15 percent to $24.37 by market close today.

Source: Reuters

Posted by Mark Griffin Posted in: Tech and Gadgets No Comments » May 2008

Microsoft Withdraws Its Bid for Yahoo

Microsoft said Saturday that it was abandoning its blockbuster bid to acquire Yahoo after the two companies could not agree on a price.
The breakdown followed a meeting in Seattle on Saturday morning between Microsoft C.E.O. Steven A. Ballmer, Microsoft’s chief executive, and Yahoo C.E.O. Jerry Yang, Yahoo’s co-founder and chief executive.

read more | digg story

Posted by Posted in: Tech and Gadgets No Comments » May 2008

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