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Microsoft Web

Cloud-Based Microsoft Office 2010 Launching Next Month

For more than a decade, Microsoft’s Office suite has been the software of choice for businesses. However thanks to always-online nature of today’s users, cloud based alternatives like Google Apps and Zoho have been making space for themselves.

Microsoft has since realized that it is time to adapt. Starting next month; May 12 to be precise, the company shall be launching a cloud based version of their popular MS Office Suite. This will mark a new phase of growth for Office as it tries to adapt in an environment already dominated by Google. However, Microsoft disagrees. Citing over 15 years of experience in the cloud-space starting with the acquisition of Hotmail in the mid-90s, Tim O’Brien, senior director of the platform strategy group says,

“We know a lot more than potentially any vendor in the industry about the types of questions [business customers] have because we have been through the enterprise software discussion before.”

It will be interesting to see how the companies fight it out in this new medium.

[via ComputerWorld]

Categories
Gadgets Microsoft

Microsoft 64GB Zune HD Launching April 12

Microsoft has been sending out invitations to selected journos for an April 12 event with an over-riding theme of “It’s time to share“. While it is not totally clear what the event is going to be about, there are speculations that the event shall unveil the new 64GB Zune HD to the market.

According to PC Magazine, the new model Zune HD shall be available at a price of $349.99 and shall sell from ZuneOriginals.com. This follows a drop in prices of the smaller versions of Zune HD late last week. The 16GB and 32GB versions of Zune HD are now available at a price of $199.99 and $269.99 respectively.

As you may recall, the Zune HD was launched in September 2009 and comes with a 3.3″ multi-touch OLED screen and also includes features like wireless syncing, web browser and HD radio.

[via Yahoo, Engadget]

Categories
Gadgets Microsoft

Internet Browsing On XBox 360 Not Coming Anytime Soon

Yesterday we heard Sony’s new mantra for its PlayStation console – make it a multi-purpose device and thus make it a more generic product as opposed to the niche gaming consoles like XBox 360 and Wii.

It appears that Microsoft is in no mood to take on Sony in this regard. Will XBox 360 ever have the options to let users go online and surf the web from their gaming console device? We hear that the answer to this is NO.

This was communicated in an interview by Xbox product manager Aaron Greenberg Edge Magazine. Aaron says that the company’s tests on making internet available on home TV showed a “poor experience”. Greenberg said,

“We really believe that the web browsing experience on TV is a poor one, and the real magic is to take those Web experiences and optimise them for the living room. That’s what we did with Netflix. So, sure, you can go on the PS3 and go to Facebook and and try to navigate, but it’s an absolute nightmare.”

[via Digital Trends]

Categories
Auto Microsoft

Microsoft Hohm Energy Management Application For Ford Electric Vehicles

Ford has partnered with Microsoft to offer tools that will make energy management easier and affordable for owners of Ford electric cars. The Ford Focus Electric car, due to be launched next year, shall be the first electric vehicle to make use of Microsoft’s Hohm energy management application.

Speaking about this, Alan Mulally, Ford Motor Company president and CEO said,

“Ford and Microsoft both share a strong commitment to contributing to a better world. Today, we begin the next major step in our working together and leading the way for energy efficiency and environmental sustainability. For Ford, this is a needed step in the development of the infrastructure that will make electric vehicles viable.”

Hohm on Ford’s Focus electric car and other upcoming models will help owners determine when and how to efficiently recharge Battery Electric Vehicles (BEV) as well as Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEV).

[Microsoft News Center via SmartPlanet]

Categories
Microsoft Web

Bang : Microsoft's Original Choice Of Name For Its Search Engine

Google is noun, google is verb. So, when Microsoft was contemplating a name for its refurbished search engine, the company was very particular that the name will eventually be used as a verb, very much on the lines of Google.

So, when the company rounded upon Bing and Bang as two possible choices, they eventually opted Bing over Bang simply because the latter as a verb did not just sound right.  David Webster, the chief marketing strategist at Microsoft tells us that saying someone “banged Obama’s dog” did not sound right.

He adds that ‘Bing’ is “the sound of found

What do you think? Wouldn’t ‘bang’ as a verb caught on more virally than Bing?

[via Alley Insider]

Categories
Microsoft Web

Bing Quick Tabs To Help Organizing Search Results Easier

Microsoft has revealed some upcoming upgrades on its Bing Search engine at the Search Engine Strategies forum in NYC recently. These upgrades are aimed at making the website a better “decision engine” – a phrase that Microsoft coined to help them be number one in an industry heavily dominated by Google.

One of the important features that will make its way to the Bing search results is Quick Tab. This will assort search results into several categories for easier perusal. Also with agreements with Twitter and Facebook in place, Microsoft hopes to bring a real time touch to its results. VentureBeat writes,

“A search on Boston, for example, provides upfront information on weather, attractions and flight deals. Recently signed deals with Twitter and Facebook, help to put more real-time information within search results. And, finally, a map integrated with Foursquare is available that when activated shows local check-in locations and their “mayors” — users who are most active at any one location.”

We wonder if such a classification would work for the several long tail keywords that people search for in a variety of categories.

[via VentureBeat]

Categories
Microsoft Web

Microsoft Seeing China Opportunity Post-Google Exit?

Google has called upon the human rights violations and censorship laws in China as the reason to quit the operations in China. While there have been lots of conspiracy theories woven to understand the exact reason for Google’s withdrawal from one of the major internet markets, the Mountain View based company has nevertheless earned its brownie-points for having taken the decision.

But will this push other American companies to pull out of China? At least Microsoft appears to be taking Google’s pull out as an opportunity to increase the company’s market share for Bing. A company spokesman said,

“We appreciate that different companies may make different decisions based on their own experiences and views. At Microsoft we remain committed to advancing free expression through active engagement in over 100 countries, even as we comply with the laws in every country in which we operate.”

Microsoft’s position is undersandable. Even if Redmond decides to take the courageous step, Google will forever remain in the limelight for having taken the lead in standing against censorship. As in the search engine market, here too, Microsoft would be seen as a company playing second, or perhaps the third fiddle. Besides, there is a lot of opportunity in China that Microsoft is still lured by. All these factors makes Microsoft’s position in China all the more understandable.

[via CNN]

Categories
Microsoft Web

Microsoft OfficeTalk Microblogging Service Takes On Twitter, Yammer

Microsoft has been working on an enterprise microblogging service called OfficeTalk that will network you with your colleagues for strictly corporate discussions. While the service is indeed inspired by Twitter, the service, when it launches, can be more of a threat to Yammer – a Twitter-like service for enterprises.

OfficeTalk is being developed by Microsoft’s OfficeLabs and the company concedes that the service, in its initial stages now, does resemble “other services”.

While the service does fill a critical gap in corporate communications, we wonder why it has to be “under 140 characters or less” – this criterion appears redundant even on Twitter given that the service is no longer dominated by SMS based communication.

What do you think?

[via ReadWriteWeb]

Categories
Gadgets Microsoft

Xbox 360 Console Redesign In The Works

Microsoft may be working to redesign the hardware of its popular gaming console, Xbox 360. Images that have been doing the rounds lately on the Chinese web show the motherboard of the upcoming Xbox 360 that has a relatively smaller motherboard and one which combines computer and graphics processors on a single chip. Also, the chip replaces Microsoft’s proprietary hard drive port with a SATA interface port.

Wait, there is every reason to be sceptical about this whole thing. However, as Kotaku notes,

“Now, considering the source, there’s every reason to be sceptical of the images, and the info. Then again, with Natal due later this year, rebooting the 360 itself to go along with it would make a lot of sense, especially if a reduction in size could come with a reduction incost.”

What do you think? True or False?

[via Kotaku]

Categories
Microsoft Mobile

No Multitasking, Copy-Paste On Windows Phone 7

Apple has been ridiculed, abused and hated for the lack of critical features like multitasking on the iPhone. However, over the past two years, the company at least brought in copy-paste functionalities to the iPhone.

Now, it seems like a similar story is set to unfold – with Microsoft. Rumors are that Windows Phone 7 that is expected to roll out in the second half of this year will miss clipboard functionalities as well as complete multi-tasking.  Charlie Kendell from the Microsoft Windows Phone app platform says,

“We do not allow third-party applications running on the phone to execute in the background. We’re poised to support it eventually, but in order to support great battery life and great end-user experience, we’re focusing on the integrated experiences first.”

Looks like Microsoft has got the script totally wrong. The iPhone clicked despite its shortcomings because the smartphone was still in its early stages back then. But today (or six months down the lane when WinMo 7 launches), there are a plethora of smartphones available; some with multitasking and clipboard features enabled. Even the iPhone is rumored to be getting its multitasking feature in a couple of months.

Isn’t Microsoft too late to the party?

[via Wired]