Microsoft

Microsoft's 'Pink' emerges from Danger's shadow

Microsoft dreams of conquering the phone business, but it knows that 'pink' is just one hue in a very broad palette.

The leaked photos that emerged on Gizmodo on Wednesday, while genuine, paint just one part of the picture of how Microsoft hopes to get back into the phone game.

According to sources familiar with the company's plans, the designs shown on Gizmodo are are more the evolution of the Sidekick than they are an effort to take on the mass market or even Apple's iPhone. The devices themselves won't be built by Microsoft itself and are … Read more

New Windows 7 launch video breaks bizarre barrier

Several months back I wrote about Microsoft's Songsmith video that hit all the wrong notes. It was a weird (to say the least) attempt to humanize software that failed so terribly I still find it hard to believe it was real.

Enter the latest Windows 7 launch video, which looks like the Food Network threw a cooking party only to have it geek out and go completely sideways.

Maybe all the pressure to make Windows 7 successful has removed all sensibility to marketing efforts that seem like good ideas until they are actually created.

Microsoft to open Windows cafe in Paris

Parlez-vous Windows?

Microsoft confirmed Wednesday that it plans to open a "Windows Cafe" in Paris where people will be able to try out the latest from Redmond while drinking a cup of coffee.

The cafe will open on Oct. 22--the day that Windows 7 launches, Microsoft said.

"This initiative expresses our intention to meet with the general public and show the new Windows experiences on PC, mobile and on the Internet," a Microsoft representative said in a statement to CNET News. "People will be able to discover Windows 7, the Windows phones and the Windows … Read more

Appeals court weighs Word injunction

A federal appeals court on Wednesday heard arguments over whether to uphold an injunction that would ban sales of Microsoft Word in its current form.

Microsoft is appealing a jury's ruling that a custom XML feature in recent versions of Word infringes on a patent held by I4i, a Canadian software company. The jury ordered Microsoft to pay $200 million, while a judge raised that amount and also issued the injunction, although it has been temporarily put on hold while Microsoft's appeal is being heard.

The hearing before a three-judge panel in Washington, D.C., lasted about 90 … Read more

Courier tablet one of many Microsoft prototypes

Microsoft does indeed have a dual-screen tablet code-named Courier, and it may not be the only gadget that the software maker has up its sleeves.

Earlier on Tuesday, Gizmodo revealed photos and a video of Courier--showing it to be a dual-screen tablet with both pen input and multitouch capabilities. Earlier this week, ZDNet's Mary Jo Foley also reported that Microsoft was taking another swing at the tablet PC concept.

My sources say it's legit, but I'm hearing that it's just one of several prototypes that has been cooked up as part of a skunkworks project … Read more

Courier: First details of Microsoft's secret tablet

It feels like the whole world is holding its breath for the Apple tablet. But maybe we've all been dreaming about the wrong device. This is Courier, Microsoft's astonishing take on the tablet.

Courier is a real device, and we've heard that it's in the "late prototype" stage of development. It's not a tablet, it's a booklet. The dual 7-inch (or so) screens are multitouch, and designed for writing, flicking, and drawing with a stylus, in addition to fingers. They're connected by a hinge that holds a single iPhone-esque home button. … Read more

Microsoft to be heard on Word injunction appeal

Microsoft will have its day in court on Wednesday.

OK, so the software maker still spends lots of days in court, even if it has settled many of the antitrust cases that once filled its Outlook calendar. Wednesday, though, it will make its case to an appeals court for why it shouldn't face an injunction banning sales of Word that contain a custom XML feature.

Earlier this year, a federal jury found that recent versions of Word infringe on a patent held by I4i and ordered Microsoft to pay the Canadian company $200 million. Last month, a federal judge … Read more

What Microsoft could do with its No. 3 brand

Given the beating Microsoft has taken lately, it's impressive that Microsoft still ranks third in Interbrand's "Best Global Brands 2009" report. Given Microsoft's still-robust brand, what should the company be doing to rejuvenate key areas of its business?

Only IBM (2nd) and Coca-Cola rank higher than Microsoft, and Google (7th) and Intel (9th) trail by a considerable margin. Apple, for all its sex appeal, barely scrapes into the top 20. Such resilience is all the more striking, given Microsoft's less-than-stellar year, as the report suggests:

2009 marks the first year-on-year decline in Microsoft's … Read more

Microsoft's data center chief headed to Cisco

One of the top executives in charge of Microsoft's data center operations is leaving the company for a product role at Cisco, according to a report on All Things D.

Debra Chrapaty, who as vice president of global foundation services is among a small number of women in Microsoft's top technology ranks, is said to be taking a role at Cisco heading collaboration products, according to All Things D. A Microsoft representative declined comment, while Chrapaty and a Cisco representative were not immediately available for comment.

According to the leadership pages on Microsoft's corporate Web site, just … Read more