Microsoft

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Tech Firms Court Aging Boomers
Tech Firms Court Aging Boomers
Oct 9, 2007 1:51 PM CDT

Tech Firms Court Aging Boomers

The likes of Nintendo, Microsoft and Google reach out at this year's AARP convention

(Newser) - Technology companies are beginning to target the over-50 audience, as was on display at the 2007 AARP convention last month, where Microsoft, Google, and for the first time, Nintendo all pitched products to the retiree crowd. "This is the first tech-savvy retirement generation...they have been living with it...

Halo Makers Cut Microsoft Cord
Halo Makers Cut Microsoft Cord
Oct 5, 2007 1:12 PM CDT

Halo Makers Cut Microsoft Cord

Bungie Studios returns to independence

(Newser) - Microsoft is parting ways with Bungie Studios, masterminds behind the Halo video-game franchise, which it acquired in 2000. The software giant announced the news  just one day after proclaiming that “Halo 3” had eclipsed the $300-million mark in global sales. Though Bungie goes independent, Gates-led Microsoft will maintain an...

'Halo 3' Hits $300M in Sales
'Halo 3' Hits $300M in Sales
Oct 4, 2007 4:11 PM CDT

'Halo 3' Hits $300M in Sales

Microsoft hoping franchise will help it win the console wars

(Newser) - Video-game phenomenon "Halo 3" earned more than $300 million in global sales during its first week, Microsoft announced today. Although specific figures were not released, the Wall Street Journal reports, the game surely also drove up sales of its Xbox 360 console, which previously had been flagging in competition...

Meet the New Zunes
Meet the New Zunes
Oct 3, 2007 12:20 PM CDT

Meet the New Zunes

Microsoft rolls out its second generation of mp3 players

(Newser) - The Zune is getting three shiny new models in November, Microsoft announced yesterday, including nano-like flash-integrated 4GB and 8GB players, and an 80GB hard drive model, all priced just like corresponding iPods. They’ll sport new features like wireless syncing, touch-sensitive navigation pads and a redesigned, DRM-free marketplace. But they...

Microsoft Armed to Fight Google in Ad Wars

Ballmer says software giant plans to make ads 25% of its business

(Newser) - Microsoft is planning to bump up its commitment to the ad industry, proclaiming that within a few years advertising will account for a quarter of its business, the New York Times reports. Buying an internet ad company last August was not a speculative play, CEO Steve Ballmer told a gathering...

Windows XP Gets Stay of X-ecution
Windows XP Gets Stay of X-ecution
Sep 28, 2007 11:44 AM CDT

Windows XP Gets Stay of X-ecution

Microsoft will sell last-gen OS through June 2008

(Newser) - Users unenthused by Vista have five more months to buy a Windows XP machine, Microsoft announced yesterday. The company will continue selling their old operating system to manufacturers and retailers through June 2008, rather than discontinuing it in January as originally announced. “There are some customers who need a...

Microsoft Rips Google Over Ad Service Bid

Tech titans have different spins on DoubleClick deal

(Newser) - A Senate antitrust panel heard testimony today on Google's proposed takeover of internet ad broker DoubleClick, the Wall Street Journal reports, including a not-so-friendly broadside from Microsoft, a snubbed DoubleClick suitor. Google's chief legal officer said the $3.1 billion deal wouldn't create an internet advertising monolith, as the companies...

Microsoft Updates Search Engine
Microsoft Updates Search Engine
Sep 27, 2007 3:33 PM CDT

Microsoft Updates Search Engine

New features only catch up to competitors, don't surpass them, says CNET blog

(Newser) - In attempt to stay viable in the search market, Microsoft revealed changes to its Live Search site yesterday, the first since it was launched last year. The changes include integration of streaming video into top searches, instant answers on health-related queries, a rating and review index for product searches, as...

'Halo 3' Sells Record $170M in First Day

Explosive debut stands to boost Microsoft's Xbox 360 console

(Newser) - Microsoft's "Halo 3" lived up the hype, the Wall Street Journal reported today, bringing in an estimated $170 million on its first day of release to shatter the record set by its predecessor, "Halo 2." Analysts say the first-person shooter game should be a boon for sales...

Microsoft Plots to Dent Google Ad Lead

Software company touting its new non-search model

(Newser) - Microsoft wants to reinvent online advertising, replacing the dominant search engine model with a tracking system that would tell advertisers precisely which ads consumers had viewed before visiting their sites. The new model is the product of aQuantive, an internet ad firm purchased by Microsoft last month, whose main competitor...

'Halo 3' Disk Comes Scratched
'Halo 3' Disk Comes Scratched
Sep 26, 2007 12:46 AM CDT

'Halo 3' Disk Comes Scratched

Limited-edition packaging can harm media

(Newser) - A limited-edition package for Microsoft's 'Halo 3' may be scratching the game disks, AP reports. The latest installment of the famous shoot-em-up franchise appears to be well on its way to huge sales, but with its new Xbox 360 suffering from news of bugs in recent months, the scratched disks...

Stocks Edge Up in Balancing Act
Stocks Edge Up in Balancing Act
Sep 25, 2007 3:44 PM CDT

Stocks Edge Up in Balancing Act

Retailers’ sales sink as homes out-perform expectations

(Newser) - Stocks rose slightly today as retail woes were somewhat offset by August home sales that outperformed expectations, MarketWatch reports. Led by Microsoft, which rode the release of “Halo 3” to a 1.5% jump, the Dow climbed 19.59 to 13,778.65. The S&P dipped 0.52...

GeoCities' Fate Offers Lesson for Facebook

Warning signs found in an earlier deal for a once-hot site

(Newser) - As Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg contemplates a big Microsoft deal, the Wall Street Journal’s Dennis K. Berman has a cautionary tale for him: GeoCities. The web community, once the third-most-visited site on the internet, fell into obscurity after Yahoo's huge buyout stymied its innovation. That’s relevant for Zuckerberg,...

Halo 3: Believe in Big Sales for Microsoft

Gamers turn out in droves for video game's midnight release

(Newser) - Wired predicts a surge in sick-days today as gamers who picked up some of the 4 million preordered copies of Halo 3: Believe when it went on sale at midnight skip work after all-night sessions. Crowds at the Manhattan release party—one of 10,000 nationwide—held up traffic...

Microsoft May Pump up to $500M Into Facebook

Bidding war with Google could net even more

(Newser) - Facebook is in talks with Microsoft about a $300-500 million investment that could give the software company as much as a 5% ownership stake in the social networking site. The deal could boost Facebook's value over $10 billion, and help Microsoft challenge rival Google for Internet advertising cachet, the Wall ...

Microsoft Goes Incognito to Attack Google

Hires PR firm to build opposition to merger; its name is disguised

(Newser) - Microsoft quietly hired Burson-Marsteller to rally opposition to Google’s proposed acquisition of online ad networker DoubleClick—and some are rankled that the software giant’s name was kept out of the pitches. The PR firm sought to convince key players the deal would hamper Internet competition and impact privacy...

IBM Challenges Microsoft Office With Free Software

Free software does many of the same things as expensive suite

(Newser) - IBM is issuing a new challenge to the supremacy of Microsoft's Office software, releasing a suite of free programs, called Symphony, that can perform many of the functions of Word, Excel and PowerPoint. Microsoft just released Office 7.0, and one analyst speculates many users will switch to Symphony rather...

Microsoft Ruling in Europe Major Blow to Tech Giants

Court upholds record fine and order to share codes

(Newser) - A European Union appeals court yesterday upheld an anti-trust decision against Microsoft, leaving intact a record $689 million fine and and a challenge to how it does business in Europe, the New York Times reports. The decision has huge repercussions for other tech giants as the European Union seeks to...

EU Court Upholds Record Microsoft Fine

Rejects appeal on $613M antitrust fine

(Newser) - A European Union court today rejected Microsoft's appeal of  the $613-million anti-trust fine handed down in 2004--the largest fine ever imposed by EU regulators. Microsoft will also have to share communication code with rivals and start selling copies of Windows without its Media Player program. Microsoft is expected to appeal...

Microsoft, EU Await Landmark Antitrust Decree

Verdict could change firm's business model, or embarrass EU

(Newser) - Microsoft execs will be waiting to hear if they won an antitrust appeal against the EU tomorrow, the BBC reports. A 2004 probe declared the tech giant guilty of abusing its industry status and fined it $690 million. If Microsoft pulls off a victory, analysts say, the EU commission will...

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