Results tagged “microsoft”

William Whitteker makes up with confidence what he lacks in any coherent business strategy, saying: "Bill Gates is going to have to move down the line. He's not going to be top dog anymore."

TechFlash sat in on Microsoft's Mac unit conference call this morning, thinking the surprise announcement might be about Office on the iPhone (honestly, like our phone doesn't crash enough already), but it turns out they're just getting around to burying Entourage, and will offer an Office for Mac suite that contains Outlook. Finally Mac users in an Exchange environment won't feel like a red-headed stepchild. In the meantime, current Office 2008 users can download a more Exchange-friendly Entourage 2008 Web Services Edition here.

After years of swatting away (or paying up) those pesky patent infringement cases, Microsoft finally got stung by the court system.

After 18 long months of on-again, off-again online business romance, Microsoft and Yahoo have final sealed the deal. The two announced today they will team up in an effort to chip away at Google's dominating lead in the search engine marketplace.

Amazon buys Zappos, the online shoe store. Amazon already runs high-end shoes and accessories site Endless.com. Zymogenetics stock is up with promising new lupus treatment.

Amazon is getting sued for broken Kindles and promises to replace them at no charge. JP Morgan says there will be no new layoffs in Seattle, where it purged WaMu's operations after taking it over several months ago. More UW scientists are cashing in on their lab work and raising venture capital to go into the biofuel business.

Ouch! TechFlash reported this morning that Microsoft has hired Morgan Stanley to unload digital ad agency Razorfish, possibly on some unsuspecting French ad giant. TechFlash theorizes that the Razorfish layoffs of late have been prep work, to get the firm into auction-block shape. One place Razorfish laid-offs can skip applying at is Wongdoody, which just cut its staff by 17 (or 10 percent). This is what they get for colorizing penguins.

So we thought Microsoft's big ol' ray of Bing was a one time deal. Then last night, the UFO-esque light was back again shining in all its blurry glory. So, was it a re-do from Tuesday's celebration? Or was the light for the decision engine's new travel section? We wonder if we'll see it again tonight. Until then Bing, you've left us all in the dark.

Welp, it's either coincidence or the signs of a major midlife crisis. First, Bill Gates signed a pair of cowboy boots for charity. Now, according to the Cody (WY) Enterprise, Gates has purchased historic Irma Lake Lodge, a property once owned by Buffalo Bill Cody. Is the software king going cowboy on us?

In case you missed it or were just confused, the racket from the helicopters circling around the Space Needle last night was caused by the the giant light beam celebrating the launch of Microsoft's new decision engine, Bing.

Attempting to compete with the wide world of Google search, this morning Microsoft introduced their newest (overhauled) search engine, Bing. The new engine has been designed as a "decision engine," to help navigate through the ridiculous amounts of trash we have cluttering the Internetz and provide a more productive and highly organized Internet search experience, as fast as computer-ly possible. The new search-a-roo, at www.bing.com is expected to be live on June 3.

• Dog people, stop reading and just look at these cute puppies instead. Cat people, keep reading. PhinneyWood blog reports that Greenwood's cat-loving-adoption organization PAWS celebrates the adoption of it 10,000th kitty.
• Still wringing out their clothes, photos and soggy possessions, the residents of the recently flooded Wedgwood neighborhood want the city to foot the bill for all the damages the broken water main caused.
Continue reading "Neighborhood News and Local Blog Round-Up "

While Nike and Starbucks get applause for their leadership in sustainability--especially Nike, which joined Johnson & Johnson in publicly scolding the U.S. Chamber of Commerce for its opposition to global warming legislation--Sightline wonders why Amazon, Microsoft, and Boeing aren't putting their lobbying efforts where their corporate climate policies are. "Google has," says Sightline's Fahey, twisting the green knife (our italics), and linking to a video of Google's Director of Climate Change and Energy Initiatives, testifying to Congress. Her point is, "Standing on the sidelines of the debate in the state legislatures and in Congress can be as damaging as standing in the way."

• Put your jazz hands together for Seattle's Garfield High School jazz band who won first place at Lincoln Center's 14th annual Essentially Ellington competition in NYC this weekend, beating out crosstown rival jazz band and reigning champion Roosevelt High School.
• Perverted vegetables found in Seattle.
• Seattle Beer Week is well underway and to celebrate tonight's festivities, check out the Dry T-shirt Contest in West Seattle. Say wha? Dry T-shirt? Ohhh, they want you to wear the best beer-related shirt (oldest, farthest away, etc.).The only thing wet you'll find is the pints of beer.

Mario and Luigi seem to be having a tough economic level to get through, as their coin count and the rest of U.S. video game industry sales have been slipping. The beginning of 2009 looked promising, until March when sales were down 17 percent from last year--which happened to be a big year for local game companies--proving the once booming game world is not immune to the recession or those sneaky Goombas. Eyes are on the falling shares, but no reset button needed--just yet--for local companies, as Nintendo's Wii leads console sales with 601,000 units sold, while Capcom's horror shooter "Resident Evil 5" is a best-selling game for the Xbox 360.

• Goats do roam in Lynnwood, but for how much longer? Goats are so much cooler than domestic pets.
• One tequila, two tequila, three tequila--floor. Need a little tequila salvation? Capitol Hill's The Saint (think bright blue building) is celebrating its uno birthday, with a week-long all-night happy hour, starting tonight and running through next Thursday. The code word: El Toro.
• It's a beautiful day at Boeing, who just won an order to deliver more 787s, the Everett Herald reports.

When former governor Gary Locke accepted Obama's Commerce Secretary appointment, he had to leave a cushy job at Davis Wright Tremaine LLP and move to DC. Now, he's expected to divest all of his Microsoft stock as he continues to adapt to the heavy demands of his new national role. Boeing and Microsoft both contributed the maximum amount allowed to his re-election campaign, and now watchdog groups have their eye on Locke to make sure he's not unduly fond of Washington businesses. Here's hoping his heart never hardens entirely towards Washington; we want him back someday!

Tech Flash got curious about Microsoft's new budget-conscious laptop shopper ad and did a specs comparison with a Mac, but they didn't cover one area that people will pay lots of money for, which is quality and customer service.

Another local will join Sims and Kerlikowske back East, now that Philip Reitinger--a senior infrastructure security guy at Microsoft--has been appointed to a leadership role with the Department of Homeland Security. He will take over next week as the deputy undersecretary of the National Protections Program Directorate. Wired points out that as Microsoft isn't exactly an industry leader in computer security, Reitinger's appointment "might be considered what some would call ironic." Hmm. Hackers, start your engines.

Howard Schultz says no more layoffs at Starbucks, and if you believe that we'd love to show you our oceanfront property in Oklahoma. Life continues to be unfair: Microsoft's permatemps are protesting a 10 percent pay cut while former president Bush is charging $150,000 per speech but the sun will come out tomorrow next year: Sleepless in Seattle may be adapted for the Broadway stage, exposing a whole new generation to dated stereotypes of this city. Can't wait.

Is your coffee cup half-empty yet? Krispy Kreme is selling a 16-ounce drip for a dime, which may be good news for those Microsoft temps getting a 10 percent pay cut. That's 40,000 grumpy Microserfs temporary workers, if you're counting. Is this why Washington is Number Two in bankruptcy growth? Even Lucy, the famous Ethiopian fossil (no really, she's old) isn't making money. Her last day at the Pacific Science Center is March 8. The snow isn't sticking around either, but you're probably okay with that.

Holy driving loafers! Even as Nordstrom's 4Q earnings fell 68 percent, Oscar fashion staple Ferragamo plans to open at Bellevue's Bravern, not far from Needless Markups. Hmm, now that Microsoft's laid-off workers can keep their extra severance, what are the chances they''ll ditch the Crocs and opt for Angelina Jolie's shoes?

Microsoft giveth, and Microsoft taketh away. The company overpaid severance to some laid off employees last month, and now wants its money back. It makes us want to scream, "No take backsies!" But how can you stay mad at Microsoft when they're offering free training for jobs that involve Microsoft products. Look into it. You can't spend your life aimlessly wandering the mall, especially now that Southcenter is cutting its hours.

TechCrunch has a guest post by Jon Bach, who apparently travels on his own straight-talk express: "Microsoft has created a real mess in the industry with Windows Vista. On its release in January 2007, most major manufacturers dropped Windows XP from their products, only to add it back months later at the demand of their customers."

White is black. Black is white. Microsoft is opening retail stores at a time when brick and mortar stores seem to be crumbling around us, meanwhile Starbucks is introducing instant coffee while old-growth roaster Peet's profits are up. Trust no one today, folks. Especially not this guy.

We can't remember now if it was on Lie to Me or The Mentalist, but on one of them, they mentioned that an indication that someone's lying (or doesn't have confidence in what they're saying) is when they repeat a question verbatim. That's why we smiled a little reading this quote from Microsoft's Gavriella Schuster on TechFlash: "One of the things customers have been asking me is, 'If I make an investment in Windows Vista today, is it a throwaway investment?' And the answer is no. It's not a throwaway investment."

Your old ride may be more eco than you know. Microsoft's green guru Rob Bernard crunched the numbers and found that a 2001 Volvo was the most energy efficient vehicle for him to drive. Take that, Prius pious. Businesses can now get the company's carbon calculatin' dashboard which is cool, but you'd think that first they'd find a way to let more employees work from home. Oops, did we just type that?

Microsoft's Zune sales plunged $100 million dollars, or 54 percent, this holiday season compared to last. CNET says iPod unit sales were up 3 percent, though Apple's revenue was down 16 percent.