ballmer

LAS VEGAS--Microsoft is leaning heavily on the Kinect to up its cool factor. So much so it plans on bringing the gaming peripheral to Windows on February 1.

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said there are more apps being created for the motion sensor, which originally debuted as a gaming peripheral and the Xbox 360's answer to the Nintendo Wii. Ballmer said the Kinect has sold 18 million units.

The Xbox and the Kinect are one of the few successful parts of Microsoft. The Kinect was a particularly hot item during the holiday season.

Microsoft initially positioned it as an … Read more

Ralph de la Vega has a lot to say about Microsoft-Nokia and Windows Phone. Except for the name of the actual device.

Due to a quirk in the conference schedule, AT&T couldn't actually talk earlier today about the big, new 4G LTE smartphone from Microsoft and Nokia, the Lumia 900 (also known as Ace). The companies are planning to formally unveil the device later today at a conference hosted by Nokia.

As a result, de la Vega was left touting the benefits of the phone in an interview with CNET, without actually specifically naming it.

"The … Read more

LAS VEGAS--Expect Microsoft, in its last ever Consumer Electronics Show, to end its long run with more of a whimper than a bang.

No doubt, there will be some pizzazz to tonight's keynote address from CEO Steve Ballmer. The opening keynote address at the world's largest consumer technology tradeshow is a marketing opportunity like few others. The company will showcase its key consumer products, demonstrating them with some flair and perhaps a celebrity or two.

But Microsoft doesn't plan to unveil any new major products at the show. That may seem odd in a year that promises … Read more

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has officially put all speculation to rest that he might be coming back to his company.

"Well, I made the transition to work full-time on the [Bill & Melinda Gates] Foundation, and that'll be what I do for the rest of my life," Gates told the Sydney Morning Herald in an interview published today. "I'm part-time involved with Microsoft, including even being in touch this week to give some of my advice but that's not going to change--the foundation requires all of my energy and we feel we're having … Read more

It'd be easy to look at the organizational shift atop the Windows Phone division today and attribute it to lower-than-expected device sales.

It's true that Windows Phone has barely made a dent in the smartphone marketplace, capturing just 1.5 percent of the worldwide market, according to Gartner. Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer acknowledged during Microsoft's financial analyst meeting in September that the company hasn't sold "quite as many [Windows Phone devices] probably as I would have hoped."

But former Windows Phone boss Andy Lees' new, vaguely described job seems to suggest something bigger … Read more

Bill Gates' chief of staff has shot down a report in Fortune that the iconic leader and philanthropist is contemplating a return to Microsoft.

In an instant message conversation, Larry Cohen said that contrary to a report on Fortune's Web site, Gates is not mulling rejoining Microsoft, though he still does work from time to time with product teams. Cohen previously said the same thing to AllThingsD.

Earlier today, the magazine posted an article on its Web site citing a single anonymous, second-hand source, saying that Gates was contemplating a comeback.

"One prominent chief executive told Fortune he'… Read more

Rest easy Steve Ballmer.

All that speculation in June about how Microsoft should dump its CEO in favor of Netflix CEO Reed Hastings, who is a member of Microsoft's board of directors, was probably just talk. Regardless, if Hastings' name was on anyone's short list, he is an unlikely successor now.

As things stand, Hastings may not even be a lock as CEO of Netflix.

After a string of setbacks and missteps, Netflix delivered more bad news on Monday. The company is in need of cash. Netflix announced that the Web's top video rental service would raise $… Read more

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer remains popular among shareholders by and large, but their support is on the decline.

Ballmer this week won the approval of 92 percent of shareholders, earning a total of 5.4 billion votes in favor and 468 million votes against, according to a Form 8-K that Microsoft filed Thursday with the Securities and Exchange Commission, outlining the election of its board of directors.

Although that's an overwhelming majority for Ballmer, it's down from the 95 percent approval from shareholders last year.

Over the last several years, shareholders have been expressing their dissatisfaction with Ballmer … Read more

Today's show begins with a history lesson on the fate of the Microsoft Courier tablet and its possible reincarnation with a modified version of the Windows 8 operating system.… Read more