Microsoft to launch Office Mobile 2010 for Windows Mobile 6.5 OS

Bangalore: Microsoft is reportedly preparing for the launch of new software for the Windows Mobile 6.5 operating system (OS), the latest version of its platform for mobile phones. The new software is none other than Office Mobile 2010, which might not make users of a WinMo-based device wait too long before it becomes available for them.

Office Mobile 2010 can be launched from one's start menu on any phone running Windows Mobile 6.5.4. One can also open Office file attachments within his/her e-mail or documents stored on his/her Windows phone directly.

Also, one can publish his/her documents to SharePoint Server 2010 or Windows Live services, and access and view documents from his/her smartphone browser. One can also access InfoPath forms via a full-featured mobile browser powered by SharePoint Server 2010.

In addition, Office Mobile 2010 will run exclusively on Windows Mobile 6.5. This means that older versions of the platform won't see it available for them, but that does not meant that the future Windows Mobile 7 will not support it. Previous reports already suggested that Office Mobile 2010 was set to be launched sometime at the beginning of the next year, and that launch time frame might not have been changed so far, yet more details should emerge shortly.

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Judge Stays Microsoft Word Ban

Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) can continue to sell its Word document processing application until an appellate court hears the company's appeal of an earlier ruling that found the product violates the patent of a Canadian software maker.

The U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday effectively stayed a lower court's ban on Word sales that would be effective in mid-October if upheld. Microsoft's appeal is slated for Sept. 23.
Microsoft Office, which includes Word, accounted for more than $3 billion in worldwide sales in Microsoft's most recent fiscal year and is used by literally millions of businesses and consumers for everyday tasks like word processing and creating spreadsheets and presentations.

Judge Leonard Davis, of U.S. District Court for Eastern Texas, ruled in August that Microsoft "unlawfully infringed" on a patent that describes how programs go about "manipulating a document's content and architecture separately." The patent, No. 5,787,449, is held by Toronto-based i4i, Inc. i4i develops "collaborative content solutions," according to its Web site.

i4i originally sued Microsoft for patent infringement in 2007.

Davis ordered Microsoft to pay $240 million in damages to i4i, plus court costs and interest. More significantly, he enjoined Microsoft from continuing to sell Microsoft Word, in its current form, in the U.S.

Specifically, Davis said Microsoft can't sell versions of Word that can open documents saved in the .XML, .DOCX, or .DOCM formats that contain custom XML. Those formats were at the heart of the patent dispute. .DOCX is the default format for the most current version of Word, which is included in Microsoft Office 2007. Custom XML is used by businesses to link their corporate data to Word documents.

Davis also prohibited Microsoft from providing technical support for infringing products sold after the injunction takes effect, or from "testing, demonstrating, or marketing the ability of the infringing and future Word products to open an XML file containing custom XML."

Davis said the injunction does not apply to versions of Word that open an XML file as plain text or which apply a transform that removes all custom XML elements—possibly paving the way for Microsoft to issue a patch that rectifies the problem.

InformationWeek has published an in-depth report on application development. Download the report here (registration required).

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Microsoft's 720p requirement for developers dropped

Publish Post

It seems that the Xbox 360 requirement that games be presented in at least 720p has been "retired" by Microsoft. The news has come about thanks to Black Rock's technical director David Jefferies in a guest article he wrote for online magazine Develop. The reasoning for this decision? It will allow developers to create games with better image quality that won't be sacrificed to meet higher resolution requirements.

HD TV manufacturers have been making their 720p LCD televisions with resolutions different than true 1280x720. "The lovingly crafted 1280x720 image has gone to be replaced," says Jefferies, "by something dependent on the quality of the LCD scaler." Because of this scaling, game visuals are upsampled by TV hardware, no matter how good the graphics actually are.

As a result, developers' work to create 720p graphics are a superfluous effort; by dropping the requirement, though, Jefferies claims that developers can add visual features like extra anti-aliasing to make the image actually look better, even if it's presented at a lower resolution than 720p.

According to Jefferies, "If we instead assume that the LCD is going to rescale then, for some games, it might be more sensible to present it with a better anti-aliased but lower resolution image in the first place." Jefferies also explained that the requirement was originally waived for Halo 3, which was presented at a resolution of 1152x640.

However, the problem with LCD TVs upsampling 720p games probably won't be such a hassle in the future: "As more and more LCDs ship with the full HD resolution of 1920x1080 then this will become less of an issue, but I’ve just had a look on Amazon and all the 26" and 32" Sony and Samsung TVs are still 1366x768."


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The Zune as we know it is gone; long live the Zune HD

The Zune as we know it is going the way of the dodo, and its replacement is of course the Zune HD. "As you know, the new Zune HD device—featuring a touch OLED screen, HD Radio, HD video out capabilities, Internet browser and more—is available for preorder now and will be available at retail on September 15," a Microsoft spokesperson told Ars. "Additional flash Zune devices (Zune 4GB, 8GB and 16GB) and hard drive devices (80GB and 120GB) will continue to be available at retail until sold out, though we will not continue to manufacture those devices."

The spokesperson also touted Microsoft's upcoming Zune software and service and the arrival of Zune video on Xbox Live this autumn. The software giant intends to provide a "great entertainment experience through software and services across multiple screens and devices."

When Ars asked if the Zune 4.0 software would be available for the old Zunes, the Microsoft spokesperson said "yes" and also noted that more details about updates to the software will be revealed soon. In terms of firmware for the old Zunes, Ars was told that Microsoft "will also continue to provide updates for previous devices as they are needed for stability."

The SuperSite Blog was first to break the news, reporting that all of the current Zunes are being discontinued. The fate of the smaller Zunes was sealed when Microsoft officially detailed the Zune HD in May 2009. In August 2009, the Flash-based Zunes (Zune 4, Zune 8, and Zune 16) disappeared from the Zune Store and Zune Originals, leaving only the HDD-based Zune 80 and Zune 120. Naturally, suspicions were raised to sky-high levels. The store still looks as it did last month, but now we know that it's worse than just the Flash-based Zunes being discontinued; all Zunes will be gone once the stock runs out.

This is a very risky move on Microsoft's part. We learned in August 2009 that the 16GB version will be priced at $220 and the 32GB will go for $290. What if someone wants more than 32GB? Sure, there's a rumored 64GB version coming later, but some users want even more than that. What if someone wants a Zune but doesn't want to spend more than $200? What if they want a smaller device, both in size and capacity?

Recall that the original Zune 30GB is considered first generation, that the Zune 4, Zune 8, and Zune 80 are considered second generation, and that the Zune 16 and Zune 120 are considered third generation. When the Zune 30 was discontinued, some consumers were unhappy, but they couldn't get very vocal because there was a mere $20 difference between the Zune 16 and Zune 80. Discontinuing the Zune 30 made sense.

This time around, however, Microsoft's strategy is questionable. We all knew that hard drive-based media players would be phased out sooner or later, and it's completely possible that a 128GB version of the Zune HD, possibly a second-generation, will see the light of day eventually. The move is understandable on the right side of the spectrum. On the lower end though, it's not as clear as to what Microsoft is going for. A Zune HD that is smaller and cheaper than the 16GB simply won't cut it for the sake of the touchscreen and the accompanying apps. Also, Microsoft might simply think that 4GB and 8GB sizes will no longer be wanted in a few months (those who like to run with small MP3 players will of course disagree). Finally, it may be simply that Microsoft just doesn't want to keep supporting the Zune in its current form and that it sees the Zune HD as a much more profitable beast.

The Zune HD has a lot of potential, but Microsoft has significantly slimmed down the Zune's potential market—especially with its biggest competitor, Apple, selling audio players in sizes ranging from 4GB to 120GB. Microsoft believes it's making a precise surgical slice, but it may just be shooting itself in the foot by giving would-be Zune owners fewer choices.

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Get Windows 7 for free by hosting a launch party (Updated)

Microsoft is finally going to take advantage of the best form of advertising for the next release of Windows: word of mouth. The world's largest software maker has partnered with House Party, apparently the world's leading party organizer, to encourage technology enthusiasts to throw Windows 7 launch parties in their communities between October 22 and October 29.

Microsoft won't let just anyone host such a party though; the company is being very selective. If you're interested in becoming an official host, there's an application process you'll have to go through over at houseparty.com/windows7. Furthermore, the offer is only open to residents of 12 countries: Australia, Italy, Canada, Japan, Mexico, France, Spain, Germany, the US, Hong Kong, the UK, and India.

Chosen hosts around the world will be among the first to see, use, and share Windows 7 with their friends, says Microsoft. If you're selected as a host, you'll receive a special Signature Edition of Windows 7 Ultimate. You'll also get a Windows 7 Party Pack to share with your guests, based on one out of four themes that you choose from: PhotoPalooza, Media Mania, Setting up with Ease, or Family Friendly Fun. Party packs will be delivered by October 10, 2009.

* All hosts will receive:
o One limited Signature Edition Windows 7 Ultimate
o One Deck of Playing Cards with Windows 7 Desktop Design
o One Puzzle with Windows 7 Desktop Design
o One Poster with Windows 7 Desktop Design
o Ten Tote Bags with Windows 7 Desktop Design for hosts and guests
* Also included in USA party packs:
o One package of streamers for decoration
o One package of balloons for decoration
o One table top centerpiece for decoration
o One package of Windows 7 napkins

US residents will also be entered for a chance to win a $750 mini-notebook computer. A total of 64 winners will be notified once all the parties are over (after October 30, 2009).

The first step of the application process is simple: you have to tell Microsoft about yourself, how the company can contact you, where to send the Party Pack, and finally pick a screen name and password (for checking the status of your application). After that, you have to confirm that "by applying for a host spot, you are agreeing to conduct yourself in the spirit of House Party—sharing a product you love with the people you love, through an experience that is fun, free, and exclusive" and that you will abide to five rules:

1. Submit only one application per household (per party)
2. Answer all questions accurately
3. Plan and host the best party you can
4. Share your party package with your guests, as intended
5. Not attempt to obtain extra party packages

Once you've agreed to all that, you have to answer six more questions (are you really surprised there are seven in total?). One of the questions of the survey is worth noting as it asks the participant what they are willing to do for the party. As such, it's clear what Microsoft will ask from party hosts:

* Host a party on any day between October 22 through October 29th, featuring Windows 7 Ultimate Operating System
* Invite at least 10 guests to join you
* Use a free party website to plan your party, invite guests, upload photos, read and post to a party blog, etc.
* Fill out an online survey after the party has happened

The second last step is to confirm a legal agreement, and then bam, you'll get a confirmation e-mail. You must then finalize the application by clicking a link. Now the rest is up to Microsoft and all you have left to do is frequently check the status of your application.

Microsoft has not disclosed how many hosts it plans to pick, but the website does insist that "host spaces are very limited." If this is the type of party you want to host, then by all means, hurry up and apply!

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer will be kicking off the official Windows 7 launch at an event in New York City on October 22, 2009, the day of Windows 7's general availability. It looks like Microsoft wants to turn what is normally a single launch day, into a launch week. Since the beginning of 2009, the media has been praising Windows 7, and Redmond obviously wants to keep that momentum going strong.

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Zune HD is competitive in price against ipod.

August 14, 2009 , Microsoft announced the availability of the Zune HD on September 15th. The Zune HD is also competitively priced. Coming in at $219.99 for the 16GB base model (Compared to Apple’s 16GB at $299), and $289.99 for the 32GB (Apples 32GB at $399). In all matter of opinion, the Zune HD looks absolutely extravagant.The key point Microsoft is hitting with the Zune HD is gaming. NVIDIA’s Tegra offers a great amount of power, in a very small area. The Zune HD runs off of the Tegra 600 series, and is the first device to be sold with it. The Tegra 600 series buffs huge support for many features, such as a 12MP camera , and smooth high definition media playback.The new Zunes will also be able to play downloadable videos. And with the use of optional docking stations, they'll even be able to play HDTV-format videos on a TV set.
Lastly, the players, which will have touch screens, will also be Wi-Fi equipped for Web browsing and downloading audio and video.

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Microsoft’s sweet Yahoo deal to take on Google !!!

Source:http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article6736245.ece
By Jano
Not long after Carol Bartz took over at Yahoo in January she dropped the “F Bomb”. Explaining what was wrong at Yahoo, the tough-talking executive said there were “a lot of people running around telling engineers what to do but nobody is f*****g doing anything”.If anything, that endeared Bartz to potential critics. After years of bloodless management, here was a woman fired up to get Yahoo moving again.She arrived as the floundering internet giant was showing co-founder Jerry Yang the door. Shareholders were furious that Yahoo had rebuffed a $33-a-share offer from Microsoft and today the shares are worth less than half that.It had lost its way defending against the software giant and was falling ever further behind Google. Bartz was going to give Yahoo “some friggin’ breathing room” so it could “kick some butt”. Seven months later it’s Bartz’s butt that is getting the kicking. She is accused of selling off Yahoo’s crown jewel for a song.Microsoft finally reached a deal with Yahoo last week to, in effect, take over its search business. It will make Microsoft’s Bing search service Yahoo’s search engine, handing the Windows software giant almost 30% of the search market and is the end of an era in internet search, reducing the field to two key players: Microsoft and arch enemy Google.Microsoft will pay Yahoo 88% of the search revenue generated from its sites in the first five years of the agreement, the companies said. But for Yahoo, once the leader in online search, it is the end of the road.

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Microsoft Released Silverlight 3 !!!

Report By Jano
Microsoft has rolled out Silverlight 3 with a lot of new stuff including the Smooth screening feature. Silverlight is a browser plugin that enables rich media experience, audio playback, vector graphics and animation. Silverlight 3 was released a day early, as it was supposed to be out officially on July 10. Currently, Silverlight 3 supports Internet Explorer 6/7/8, Firefox 2/3 and Safari 3/4 browsers - no support for Opera and Chrome browsers.Microsoft's Silverlight is a direct rival of Adobe Flash and is available for download from Microsoft's Silverlight site.This new Silverlight 3 RTW (3.0.40264.0) version brings along a number of features, including Smooth Screening, GPU hardware acceleration, H.264/AAC/MPEG-4 Video support, and out-of-the-browser experience without any additional plugin downloads. Thousands of other API features are enumerated by Tim Heuer, program manager for Microsoft Silverlight. Microsoft touts that Silverlight 3 brings streaming of high-definition video in full screen with stutter-free live and on-demand video. For a demo of Smooth Screening, head to this special link for checking out the Smooth Screening experience of playing HD video at any point of time, instantly. The third version will allow streaming of 720p HD content over the web with an ability to Pause and Rewind the video.The GPU hardware acceleration support will allow this framework to make the best of the available graphics in the user's system. Apart from that, version 3 is a mash up of streaming video and offering Rich Internet Applications experiences. Developers would be able to create Silverlight based apps so that videos can be seen even if the browser is shut off.

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* News * Technology * Google Google's new platform Chrome aims to show Microsoft's Windows the door

It is the technology industry's equivalent of the irresistible force meeting the immovable object. Google, the web upstart founded 11 years ago, has announced it will go head-to-head with Microsoft with an operating system (OS) – the programs that make a computer work – for machines ranging from handhelds up to desktop computers.If Google can get enough people to buy computers running its new Chrome OS, it will cut into Microsoft's two biggest cash cows: Windows and its Office suite of programs, including Word, Excel and PowerPoint. Microsoft, which once spoke of "cutting off the air supply" of a web-based rival, Netscape, has woken up to find a new threat reaching for its throat.The confrontation has been expected for years – despite Google's insistence it had no such ambitions – but it still caught observers by surprise when a Google spokeswoman confirmed to IT news service IDG that it plans to announce this week the names of computer makers in Taiwan and China signed up to work with Chrome OS, and said that it will show off Chrome's user interface later this year.The challenge to Microsoft is implicit, yet also direct. In a blog post, Sundar Pichai, Google's vice-president of product management, and Linus Upson, engineering director, explained that "the operating systems that browsers [used to access pages on the web] run on were designed in an era when there was no web". That is a swipe at Windows, which dates back to the 1990s. Pichai and Upson also promise that with Chrome OS, "we are going back to the basics and completely redesigning the underlying security architecture of the OS" to ensure that "users don't have to deal with viruses, malware and security updates" – another swipe.

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ANALYSIS-Google-Microsoft war may bring down PC prices

Report By Jano
Google Inc's (GOOG.O) bid to compete with Microsoft Corp's (MSFT.O) Windows operating system may help lower the cost of personal computers at a time when prices are already being pinched by inexpensive netbooks Google said it will offer its just-announced Chrome operating system for free when it is launched in the second half of 2010, a move that could force Microsoft into a price war.Although Windows is the dominant operating system -- installed on 90 percent of the world's PCs, Microsoft won't take Google's challenge lightly, analysts said. Its new Windows 7 operating system will be available in October."Microsoft's strategy is likely to be to compete on price," said Brent Williams, an analyst with the Benchmark Co. "Now there's a competitor with the muscle and the brand recognition. Google is that company."Google said Chrome OS, which is based on the open-source Linux code, is being designed for all PCs but will debut on netbooks. It makes sense for Google to initially target the stripped-down, Web-centric netbooks, one of the only segments showing any growth in a PC market that is contracting.Netbooks generally sell for $300 to $400, but prices are dropping as new offerings flood the market and wireless carriers offer subsidies with the purchase of a data plan.Kaufman Bros analyst Shaw Wu noted that while the prices on nearly all PC components have been falling, "the one thing that has not been coming down is the cost of the operating system. This is going to put some pressure on Microsoft."Microsoft doesn't say how much it charges PC brands for Windows, but analysts estimate it gets $20 to $40 for the older XP system used in the vast majority of netbooks, and at least $150 for the current Vista system.Wu said price competition could ultimately give a bump to PC makers' margins."I think overall it should improve the profitability for PC vendors. It's really a question of how much they pass on to the customers," he said. REWRITING THE RULES

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Microsoft to charge Europeans double for Windows 7

European customers will pay up to twice as much for Windows 7 compared to U.S. users, even though the new operating system will ship without a browser in Europe, according to Microsoft.When the company launches Windows 7 on Oct. 22, it will price Windows 7 Home Premium, likely the most popular of the three editions available at retail, at €119.99 in the European Union (EU) and charge £79.99 in the U.K., an EU member that has retained its own currency. Those prices are the equivalent to $168.66 and $132.14 U.S., respectively, at Saturday's exchange rates.U.S. consumers will pay only $119 for the same software after a two-week pre-order sales discount expires July 11. That means EU residents will pay 41% more, and U.K. consumers 10% more, than U.S. buyers for Home Premium Upgrade.Other editions will come with an even higher surcharge. Windows 7 Professional, the key retail edition for businesses, will sport a price tag of €285, or $400.60, and £189.99, or $313.84, at Saturday's exchange rate. In other words, EU customers will pay twice the $199.99 U.S. price; U.K. buyers will pay 57% more.The top-end Windows 7 Ultimate, priced at $219.99 in the U.S., will cost €299 ($420.27), or 91% more, in the EU, and £229.99 ($330.36), or 50% more, in the U.K.Some of the money Microsoft stands to make on the European editions of Windows 7 comes from the weak dollar. Last week, for instance, the dollar fell against the euro the most in a month, hitting $1.41 per euro.According to Microsoft, it's also not reducing Windows 7's prices from Vista's current marks as much in the EU as it is in the U.S. Windows 7 Home Premium's EU price is down €6, or 4% from the same Vista edition, half the 8% cut that Microsoft made to Home Premium in the U.S. In the U.K., Microsoft left prices untouched; Windows 7 will be priced the same as Vista.Europe's customers will be paying more for less, as Microsoft has decided to yank Internet Explorer 8 (IE8) from Windows 7 in an effort to head off EU antitrust regulators, who may still force the company to take more drastic measures.

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Windows 7 pricing announced 25.06.2009

As Microsoft announced the pricing for the forthcoming Windows 7 operating system (OS), it gave news that apart from the full packaged product, customers would also be offered a lower-priced 'Upgrade' version. Europe will technically be excluded from this offering, but will still benefit from the savings it brings.While Windows 7 Home Premium (Full) will retail at US$199.99, the Home Premium (Upgrade) costs US$80 less at US$119.99 and is available for those with an existing Vista or XP Windows licence.Brad Brooks, corporate VP for Windows Consumer Marketing, explained in an interview that for us here in Europe, Microsoft "will not have a separate upgrade SKU for the packaged retail product versions of Windows 7 at GA, but we will be offering upgrade pricing on our full licences to make sure that European customers who want to upgrade have the pricing options available in the rest of the world."Sounds complicated? It may be akin to the previous restrictions following an anti-trust investigation from the Europe Commission surrounding Microsoft's web browser dominance on PCs, which is leading to an absence of Internet Explorer pre-installed on new Windows 7 PCs all across the EU."We will be offering upgrade pricing on our full licences to make sure that European customers who want to upgrade have the pricing options available in the rest of the world," said Brandon LeBlanc on the official Windows 7 blog.The Windows 7 Upgrade Option Program starts tomorrow, so anyone who buys a new PC between then and when the OS goes on sale can avail of the discounted upgrade price up until 31 January 2010.Pre-orders for Windows 7 in UK, France and Germany (and presumably Ireland too) start 15 July, and will run until 14 August.

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Microsoft to launch Windows Mobile 6.5 on May 11

Earlier this year Microsoft announced the latest version of its mobile operating system, Windows Mobile 6.5, a relatively minor update focused on changes to the user interface and its touch-friendliness. But while the first Windows Mobile 6.5 devices are not expected to arrive until the second half of the year, it appears the company is ready to show off the interim operating system next month.According to a post on their corporate blog, Microsoft is going to deliver the kick off launch presentation of Windows Mobile 6.5 on May 11, at the start of TechEd 09. The session is targeted at both IT Professionals and Developers and will include “a cool demo and an outline of great stuff to come.” There are a handful of other WM 6.5 sessions on the agenda, including one on developing apps that use touch and gestures and another to help developers monetize their creations through the Windows Marketplace for Mobile.

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Microsoft ends mainstream support for Windows XP

This week Microsoft's 'mainstream support' comes to end for their most popular operating system, Windows XP.While XP has been given a few life span extensions in stores, the 8 year old operating system is gradually -- but certainly -- getting closer and closer the proverbial end of the road. Microsoft is in the slightly strange position of ending mainstream support for XP, when adoption rates of their newer operating system, Vista, were so low that there are roughly three computers running XP for every one running Vista. What is the 'mainstream support' that we are talking about? It basically means non-critical support. Here is a chart from MS showing the difference between mainstream support and XP's extended support, which ends in 08/04/2014.

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Microsoft's online Office variant preps for business

You'll get a taste of what a web-based version of Microsoft's Office for Firefox, Safari, the iPhone and Internet Explorer can do later this year.Microsoft confirmed Wednesday that Office Web applications - announced last October - will be ready for testing along with the next edition of its Office suite, Office 2010, in the third-quarter. Release to manufacturing for Office 2010 is due in the first half of next year.It'll be the first time you get a hands-on experience of the eagerly anticipated suite and potential competitor to the desktop version of Office and Google Docs.Details have been sketchy on Office Web applications, but Microsoft has said in the past you'll need its Silverlight browser-based media player to go beyond basic editing of one document at a time. Silverlight will provide sharp images, integration with Office Live Workspace to upload multiple files, and also the ability to share and edit documents simultaneously in real time. Also, there may or may not be ads in Office Web applications.Office Web applications are scheduled to be available for Firefox and Safari in addition to Internet Explorer, and will be able to run on Apple's iPhone.The suite promises to be the most compelling aspect of the next version of the Office family that, outside Microsoft and its immediate circle of fans, is unlikely to excite interest.Microsoft's biggest problem when it comes to shipping new versions of Office is getting the existing install base to upgrade. There has been massive inertia since Office 97, with Office 2000 and Office XP seeing slow uptake. Office 2007 seemed to change this.

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Microsoft Windows 7: Upgrade or just buy a pizza?

BusinessWeek is running a piece on Microsoft's latest attempts to fight back against Apple and Linux and its secret strategy to force unwitting Windows users to upgrade to various flavors of Windows 7. Because of the smaller size of Windows 7, three versions of the program will come loaded even on lower-end machines. If a consumer on a cheaper PC running the "Standard" version tries to use a high-definition monitor or run more than three software programs at once, he'll discover that neither is possible. Then he'll be prompted to upgrade to the pricier "Home Premium" or "Ultimate" version. Microsoft says the process will be simple. Customers enter their credit-card information, then a 25-character code, make a few keystrokes, then reboot. (Microsoft Corporate Vice President for Consumer-Product Marketing Brad Brooks) says pricing hasn't been determined, but upgrading "will cost less than a night out for four at a pizza restaurant."I can't decide if this strategy is profoundly stupid or just utterly moronic.Besides the fact that when you buy an Apple computer you aren't hoodwinked into upgrading the operating system, just think of all the simple things that can go wrong: * Consumer confusion (and subsequent anger) about what they are paying for in the first place
* The upgrade not working or corrupting an existing installation
* Online credit card processing through an operating system known for being exploited by a vast range of criminals * An assumption that the hardware will be capable of running the new operating systemAs Microsoft continues to tout the Apple Tax, perhaps it should look inward a bit and realize that people are willing to pay for Apple products for the high-quality user experience, and not settle for a subpar experience on a product they use every day.The vast majority of Windows users will end up frustrated and annoyed if this ridiculous upgrade plan idea comes to fruition. Meanwhile, the vast majority of Apple users will continue to save their pizza money and opt for a better computing experience.

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Yahoo and Microsoft back in talks over ad deal

Microsoft, who ended its hostile bid for Yahoo almost one year ago, has started up discussions again with the company, this time over a possible advertising pact.Yahoo's new CEO Carol Bartz has met with Microsoft CEO Stee Ballmer this week, says sources, with both sides still hesitant to set any agreement in stone. One possible deal would have Microsoft selling search ads for Yahoo while Yahoo sells display ads on all Microsoft properties in exchange.Microsoft has been very aggressive in expanding their search engine (Live.com) and is expected to introduce another major overhaul this summer.A large scale partnership would go a long way towards creating a strong competitor to Google in search, which currently has 81.39% market share, according to Net Applications.

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Yahoo and Microsoft Said to Be Weighing Ad Pact

Yahoo and Microsoft, which held a marathon series of fruitless merger and partnership negotiations last year, have restarted discussions, this time over a possible advertising agreement, a person briefed on those discussions said Friday.Conversations between the two sides have been scant since Carol Bartz was named Yahoo’s chief executive in January. But they have started anew recently, and Ms. Bartz met with Steven A. Ballmer, Microsoft’s chief executive, last week, said the person briefed on the discussions, who agreed to speak on condition of anonymity because the talks were confidential.Yahoo and Microsoft declined to comment.The discussions are in early stages and may not lead to any agreement, the person said. They have centered on ways for the companies to pool their advertising efforts, including a possible partnership under which Microsoft would sell search ads for Yahoo, and Yahoo, in turn, would sell display ads on Microsoft properties, this person said.After merger and partnership talks collapsed last year, Microsoft continued to make sizable investments in its search business to better compete with Google. Those investments included the hiring of a string of top search executives and engineers, some of whom had previously worked at Yahoo, including Qi Lu, a well-regarded technologist who is now in charge of Microsoft’s overall online business, including search.Microsoft is expected to release the results of its latest research and development efforts in search technology this summer when it plans to introduce a major overhaul of its search engine.Microsoft executives are bullish about the capabilities of the new service. But they readily admit that it does not address one of the principal challenges the company faces in competing with Google: Microsoft’s audience and its base of advertisers are tiny compared with Google’s. That makes Microsoft’s search business, in which advertisers bid against one another in an auction, less lucrative than Google’s.A partnership that would pool Microsoft’s and Yahoo’s users or advertisers could go a long way toward addressing that problem, and could help create a more powerful No. 2 competitor to Google in search.

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