Week in review: Microsoft's cloudy future

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The vast majority of games had already been announced and many had been previously demonstrated, and hardware announcements were minor. Sony made some improvements to its PlayStation Portable, trimming down its size, improving its video quality and battery life, and touting the Darth Vader-emblazoned Star Wars edition; Microsoft unveiled a new Halo 3-themed Xbox 360 and a special new controller for casual games like Scene-It; and Nintendo introduced some new Wii accessories like a zapper gun, an exercise balance board and a steering wheel.

It's not yet clear whether the eye-catching game trailers and lavish demonstrations like Microsoft's smoke-machine-laden will have been enough to keep jaded press members and analysts at bay, but Microsoft executive Peter Moore's "rendition" of the Hives' "Main Offender" on the new music game certainly elicited some laughs.

Some early fireworks came from Sony, which cut the price of the PlayStation 3, which competes against the Xbox 360, by $100, or 17 percent, in the United States in an effort to boost flagging sales.

Sony's cut came days after Microsoft announced that it would take a $1 billion charge as it extends the warranty on the Xbox 360, after an investigation showed the game console can be prone to hardware failures. Microsoft said its probe found "a number of factors" that can cause a general hardware failure indicated by three red flashing lights on the console. The company said that, in addition to extending the warranty, it has made unspecified design changes to the product.

Apple's iFuture
Time to dust off the crystal ball to determine what is in Apple's gadget grab bag?

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office revealed a raft of new patent applications submitted by Apple's lawyers, covering new technologies for iPods, Web pages and mice. Several patent applications that were filed months ago but just revealed this week on the PTO's Web site.

The most intriguing example appears to involve a method for allowing an iPod or iPhone to talk to a neighboring device through a wireless network. The application assumes that mobile devices already are capable of downloading data from the Internet over cellular or Wi-Fi networks, "however, as portable electronic devices become more versatile and more interactive, it is advantageous to exchange (send and/or receive) media or other types of data with other electronic devices in a wireless manner," Apple notes in the application.

The other filings include input technology that would allow designers to manipulate 3D images with a 2D input device, like a mouse. Apple also filed for a patent on ways for inexperienced Web designers to create fancy Web pages using tools generally confined to the pros.

Meanwhile, it looks like JPMorgan Chase may have made up its mind on the notion of an iPhone Nano being a realistic possibility. On Monday, Kevin Chang with JPMorgan Chase in Taiwan prognosticated that a slimmer iPhone was on the way, based on conversations he had with unnamed sources and an Apple patent filing for a slim device that uses an input method similar to the familiar iPod scroll wheel. This would allow Apple to ship a cheaper version of the original iPhone, he said.

However, his colleagues Bill Shope, Elizabeth Borbolla and Vlad Rom threw Chang under the iBus in their own report Tuesday.

"We caution that the potential for a low-end, subsidized phone from Apple seems unlikely in the near term," the New York analysts wrote. Chang wrote that Apple could sell an iPhone Nano for around $300, and widespread reports of that price target sent Apple's stock up $2.06 on Tuesday on a day when the broader market fell.

Is there regulatory trouble in iPhone's future? AT&T's exclusive right to sell the Apple iPhone drew complaints from Democratic politicians, though it was unclear whether they were planning to do anything about it.

"The problem with the iPhone is that the iPhone with AT&T is kind of like a 'Hotel California' service," Massachusetts Rep. Ed Markey said--in a nod to the Eagles hit, of course--during a hearing. "You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave."

Even though the hearing before the House of Representatives subcommittee on the Internet was supposed to be about "wireless innovation and consumer protection," the iPhone popped up among Democrats as a subject of criticism--and, among Republicans, as an example of the free market and consumer choice in action.

There are no proposed laws, or even talk of proposed laws, that would forcibly divorce Apple from AT&T. The wireless carrier reportedly has an exclusive deal to sell the iPhone in the United States for the next five years.

Also of note
Spammers, beware: More criminal-spam prosecutions--complete with stiff prison sentences and mandatory forfeiture of relevant valuables--are on the way in the coming months, a U.S. Department of Justice attorney said...Google said it has agreed to acquire e-mail security company Postini for $625 million, expanding its package of online applications to compete with Microsoft's Office software...The head of Interpol believes terrorists and other criminals are traveling freely around the globe in ways that police agencies find difficult to track, but he says he knows how to cripple their movements.

[Thought Police OMalley]

CloudOS == IBM JavaOS and OS/2

Isn't it really obvious that Microsoft CloudOS is based on IBM's JavaOS and OS/2?

Everyone knows that Windows NT was based on the OS/2 codebase, and that Microsoft steals ideas from other companies because they cannot innovate themselves out of a paper bag. What they cannot steal, they buy out companies that can do what Microsoft cannot.

Gates you're a bore, we heard this before, it is hot as hell in Redmond! Someone ought to open up Windows!

OS/2 lives, OS/2 is the borg, resistance is futile, you will be assimilated!

[nonicks]

...even if NT = O/S2

.. how does it matters.. even if NT = O/S codebase...

Who actually developed it?

It was initally M$ developing O/S2 for IBM on contract. When IBM couldn't market it well.. M$ tookover it ... built an empire on it.

Is it really M$'s problem if other company's can't convert their beautiful ideas into bug bucks.

Anyhow... it's since ages... invention is always supposed to be patroned by able(s).

Im this case.. M$ is patronising invention by buying it..

makes sense... isn't it!!

[Fil0403]

CloudOS == Microsoft OS/2

Yeah, it's kinda obvious the part about OS/2, given the company that originally developed it was Microsoft itself.

Everyone knows that OS/2 was developed by Microsoft, and that Microsoft capitalizes on ideas other companies weren't smart enough to capitalize on and innovate themselves too and have proved that with Xbox Live, VirtualEarth 3D, Surface, among others.

What they cannot invent, they buy just like Google does and you don't seem to care nearly as much (I wonder why is that...).

ABMs (Anything But Microsofts) you're a bore, we heard this before, it is hot as hell in ABMs' planet!

Someone ought to open up these short-minded peoples' minds. Windows lives, Windows is the leader, resistance is futile, you will always have to use Windows!

[clpdan]

Will we ever learn?

Instead of saying foolish things like "Microsoft also will create
core infrastructure services..." why don't you say, "Microsoft
CLAIMS it will create..."

You would think that after years and years of getting burned my
the Microsoft promise of the day you guys would learn to use
that word 'claims' and close with 'we'll write more about it when
we actually see it.'

Microsoft strings the tech sector along with their promises of the
future. Please. Microsoft is so yesterday.

Get an Intel Mac and you can run Mac OS X, Linux or if you
must, Windows.

[wildchild_plasma_gyro]

PDS

At the moment we do face the possibility of being got through flaws at via hacking setups.
One of the fisrt things that could make use of an advanced cloud would be an advanced PDS(Packet denial service).
Basically a netowrk that knows enough about what about to hit to lower surges during a DOS attack.

[JCPayne]

Google should release their Goobuntu O/S

Google should sell their Goobuntu Operating System to the public and stop hording it all to themselves.....

[JCPayne]

Google should release their Goobuntu O/S

Google should sell their Goobuntu Operating System to the public and stop hoarding it all to themselves.....

[ethana2]

Sell?

I think you may have been looking for a different term. Still, I've been wanting to see something like this for a long time.

Google needs to endorse Ubuntu on their main search page, and let people know that windows and osx aren't the only systems out there. Furthermore, I'd just love to see google start an all-out war with microsoft like that. Can you imagine that? Google starts shipping custom ubuntu discs aimed at killing microsoft's cash cow, and assigns developers to open office and firefox projects...

That would be the most exciting thing since the release of the tickless kernel ;)

(typed in ubuntu/firefox/colemak)

[Fil0403]

You should stop dreaming

Google doesn't use Windows and Madonna is a man.

[rubenerd]

Mistake

It was OS/2, not O/S2. Whoops.

[Fil0403]

Week in review: Microsoft's usual bashing

"People do not like someone else controlling their assets," wrote one reader to the News.com TalkBack forum. "They would much rather be responsible for their own actions."

Cool. People do not like having to pay for things or go to work. They would much rather have everything for free and not go to work. What a logic. I'm a genius.


Regarding Apple patents, and after reading user comments here, one can only conclude patents are only a bad thing when is Microsoft patenting something; if it's Apple I guess it's just them rightfully defending themselves. Interesting.


Regarding the iPhone Nano, I wonder what features they are going to take out of an already feature-weak expensive smartphone-wannabe like iPhone to get a lower price.

[dornbear]

Liar, Liar, Pants On Fire

If there is one lesson we have learned from Microsoft, that is it.