Microsoft selling Samsung Smartphones

Microsoft recently announced that it’s putting an end to its Windows Phone once and for all. Also mentioned was that it would focus more on Android and iOS going forward.

Now, the company has even started selling Android devices from its web store. The latest one to go on sale is the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.

The arrival of Samsung Galaxy Note 8 on the Microsoft Store comes soon after the company started selling Razer Phone, Samsung Galaxy S8 and Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus last week.

One can get the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 (64GB version) unlocked at $779.99, which is $150 less than the original price.

Why Microsoft suddenly started selling Android devices on its store, is one question best known to the company itself. As spotted by Android Authority, the Galaxy Note 8 being sold from the Microsoft Store comes with the company's own suite of apps.

The apps and services included are Cortana, Word, Excel, OneNote and Outlook. Nothing has changed on the software side of things other than this.

Reminding the specifications, the Galaxy Note 8 comes with a 6.3-inch Quad HD+ (2960x1440 pixels) Super AMOLED 'Infinity' display. The device runs Android 7.1.1 Nougat update and is powered by an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor.

The Phablet comes with 6GB of RAM and 64GB storage and is the first device from the company to sport a dual-rear camera setup. The rear camera includes two 12MP sensors, while the first one is a wide angled lens with f/1.7 aperture, the secondary camera includes a telephoto zoom lens with f/2.4 aperture. The front is home to an 8MP selfie shooter with f/1.7 aperture.

Microsoft launches Nokia 230 dual SIM

Microsoft has launched a new entry-level phone Nokia 230, which has been priced at Rs 3,869.

The dual SIM phone has a 2.8-inch (320x240p) display and runs Series 30+ OS. Nokia 230 has 16MB RAM and can hold microSD cards of up to 32GB.

It has a 1200mAh replaceable battery and sports 2MP rear camera with LED flash along with a 2MP front facing camera.

Nokia 230 comes with basic connectivity features like Bluetooth 3.0 and microUSB and also has an FM radio and MP3 player.

The phone is now available on Microsoft's official store.

Microsoft launches Lumia 640 4G

Microsoft has launched Lumia 640 LTE 4G device, which is priced at Rs 17,399 with an aim to widen its portfolio in the mobile devices space under the Lumia series.

The Lumia Smartphone with 4G capability, which comes with 8MP camera, 5.7 inch HD screen and Windows 8.1 operating system, would be available across India, Microsoft Mobile Devices.

The dual SIM Smartphone is equipped with 8MP rear camera, full HD display, Corning Gorilla Glass 3, sunlight readability, 1.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor.

Microsoft would retail the Smartphone with bundled offer from telecom operator Bharti Airtel till December 31, 2015.

Microsoft to launch New Lumia Phones, Surface Pro 4

Microsoft's next range of consumer gadgets will be unveiled at a mega event later this year.

According to news site WPDang, Surface Pro 4 and Microsoft Band 2, plus a pair of new Lumia handsets, will form the basis of the October event that will almost certainly see multiple new pieces of hardware.

The Surface Pro 4 will be the main focus of the event, which will once again be dubbed the tablet that can replace your laptop and Microsoft is expected to pack it with an ultra powerful Intel Core 'M' chip that will threaten the likes of the Apple MacBook Air.

Alongside this, the Lumia 950 and 950 XL can be expected to finally arrive following many months of leaks with both Smartphones ready to handle the long-awaited arrival of the Windows 10 Mobile OS.

That's not all. Further whispers are pointing to a couple of surprises on the hardware front for the event that could indeed mean a slimmer version of the Xbox One and even the long awaited arrival of the Surface Mini.

Microsoft lodges complaint against Motorola Mobility

Microsoft has lodged a formal complaint with the European Union's competition regulator against Motorola Mobility and its soon-to-be owner Google, saying Motorola's aggressive enforcement of patent rights against rivals breaks competition rules.

The complaint follows a similar step by Apple against Motorola last week.

Motorola is in the process of being taken over by Google for $12.5 billion, the biggest acquisition in the Californian company's history. Microsoft fears that Google will continue Motorola's tight hold on key patents.

Apple Inc. and Microsoft Corp. have been hit by legal cases in Europe and the United States, with Motorola claiming that the companies' products are using key patents it owns without permission.

Apple and Microsoft, meanwhile, argue that Motorola is overcharging for the use of these patents, which cover technologies necessary to connect wirelessly to the Internet or stream video online.

"We have taken this step because Motorola is attempting to block sales of Windows PCs, our Xbox game console and other products," said Dave Heiner, Microsoft's deputy general counsel.

"Motorola is on a path to use standard essential patents to kill video on the Web, and Google as its new owner doesn't seem to be willing to change course," Heiner added.

The complaints are the latest development in increasingly acrimonious disputes between global technology giants over patents on standardized technologies.

Industrywide standards play an important role not only in the technology sector. They allow products from different companies to function seamlessly together - different mobile phones or tablet computers connecting to the Internet and each other via 3-G or Wi-Fi networks, for example. Under EU competition rules, holders of patents necessary for industry standards are required to let other companies use them for a fair price.

But regulators and companies complain that holders of standard-essential patents have tried to gain an edge in the market by suing rivals over the use of their patented technologies.

When the European Commission, the EU's competition watchdog, cleared Google's takeover of Motorola earlier this month, it indicated concern over Motorola's aggressive patent enforcement. The Justice Department in its clearance of the merger made similar comments.

Separately, the Commission has already launched a formal investigation into Samsung's similar approach to patent protection and has warned that other probes may follow.

Microsoft, Yahoo, AOL team up to sell online ads

Microsoft, Yahoo and AOL are joining forces in an online advertising attack on Google and Facebook.

The alliance is designed to sell some of the less-prized ad space that Microsoft Corp., Yahoo Inc. and AOL Inc. have had trouble filling on their own.

Even as they share some resources, the three companies vowed to retain their independence and compete against each other with separate sales teams. For that reason, they said they don't expect U.S. antitrust regulators to object to the nonexclusive partnership before they begin selling ads together in January.

Ross Levinsohn, a Yahoo executive vice president, hailed the alliance as a "fundamental rethinking" of the Internet ad market.

That statement also could be interpreted as a bit of wishful thinking. Microsoft, Yahoo and AOL all need to change the direction of an online ad market that has been increasingly tilting in the direction of Google and Facebook.

Having already built a moneymaking machine in its dominant search engine, Google has become even more powerful in Internet marketing since it bought DoubleClick's ad service for $3.2 billion in 2008. That deal provided Google with a springboard to leap from text ads that appear next to search results into the graphical messages known as display advertising.

Facebook attracts more advertising as it becomes established as the Internet's most popular hangout. The company accumulates valuable insights into people's interests as its 800 million users share their passions. That advantage has helped Facebook become the leader in U.S. display advertising with a 16 percent share of the online ad market, according to the research firm eMarketer Inc.

Yahoo, the former leader, has seen its share fall from 18 percent in 2008 to 13 percent this year. Google's share of the display market moved from 2 percent in 2008 to 9 percent. Microsoft stands at 5 percent and AOL is hovering around 4 percent, according to eMarketer.

As it has fallen further behind in Internet advertising, Microsoft's online division has piled up operating losses of $7 billion since June 2008. Revenue at both Yahoo and AOL is steadily falling. Yahoo has been struggling so much that its board is mulling whether to sell all or part of the company.

Microsoft may eventually benefit from Facebook's success. It bought a 1.6 percent stake in Facebook for $240 million in 2007. By some estimates, Facebook is now worth three to five times more than it was when Microsoft made its investment.

By tapping into each other's technology, Yahoo, and AOL are betting they can save money and sell more advertising.

The partnership will cover a category of advertising that doesn't typically appear in the prime slots on websites. Microsoft, Yahoo and AOL believe that space will be in higher demand if they can succeed at creating a more efficient, transparent market that helps connect advertisers with the Web audiences best suited for their marketing campaigns.

Microsoft soon to launch Mango smartphones

Microsoft Corp, which has been trailing Apple Inc and Google Inc in the fast-growing smartphone market, said it will launch Mango-powered handsets from top makers including Nokia Oyj, Samsung Electronics Co Ltd and HTC Corp in coming weeks.

The smartphone sector is currently dominated by Apple and Android phones, which together make up about half of the market, with Microsoft seen as slow to react to the rapidly rising popularity of mobile devices.

But some analysts say Microsoft still has time to catch up, especially given uncertainties among handset makers after Google's planned purchase of Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc sparked worries that Google may one day produce its own handsets.

"We've seen hardware manufacturers very nervous about what Google is doing. I think anyone who turns around and competes with you is a cause for concern," said Andrew Lees, president of Microsoft's Windows phone division.

Blackberry maker Research In Motion Ltd's recent outage problems might also ultimately help competitors such as Microsoft, analysts said.

Mango vs Apple, Ice Cream Sandwich:
Microsoft sees the United States, Europe and China as its top markets for handsets based on its new Mango operating system.

"As the price comes down, emerging markets do become a huge opportunity, but also the existing markets in western Europe and the U.S., because as the price point comes down, more people will get into the smartphone market," Lees said.

Lees said there were currently more than 30,000 applications for Windows smartphones, compared with about 500,000 applications in Apple's App Store.

Microsoft would introduce its Mango handsets in China for the first time next year. China is the world's biggest mobile phone market, with more than 900 million subscribers, although only a fraction are smartphone users, many of whom use Apple's iPhone and Samsung's Galaxy.

Microsoft would launch Samsung and HTC Mango smartphones in the United States and Europe over the next week or so, with Nokia following in various markets, Lees said.

Fujitsu Ltd has already rolled out a Mango smartphone in Japan.

Microsoft's comments come a day after Samsung and Google held the Hong Kong launch of the first smartphone powered by the new Ice Cream Sandwich operating system.

Microsoft Completes Skype Purchase

Microsoft and Skype are now one company. The Redmond, Washington-based technology giant completed its acquisition Friday of the once-upstart, Internet-based communications company.

In a posting on The Official Microsoft Blog, Tony Bates, the former Skype CEO who is now head of the new Skype division, said the deal-closing "represents a huge leap forward in Skype's mission to be the communications choice for a billion people every day."

Bates said Skype's position would be at "the intersection of social, mobile and video communications." He added that the company's goal was "to transform communications," which meshes with Microsoft's goal of creating "communication across every device and every platform."

In a video message, Bates said both Skype and Microsoft are "disruptive, innovative, software-oriented companies." The envisioned world is one of "complete, pervasive video communications, something that's across all parts of your life."

In May, Microsoft said it intended to buy Skype for $8.5 billion. Last week, Microsoft cleared its last major regulatory hurdle when the European Commission approved the purchase.

One of the questions had been whether Microsoft would hinder Skype's interoperability with other companies, or if it would integrate Skype with its widespread Windows operating system, creating market advantages others could not match.

On the first matter, the commission found that Microsoft would have no incentive to diminish Skype's interoperability, since it's to the advantage of the Skype brand that it be available via as many partners and platforms as possible.

Concerning whether Microsoft could integrate Skype with Windows, as it had been accused of doing with its Internet Explorer browser, the commission reasoned that most users could readily download a version of Skype if they wanted, and that most users who buy a PC with Skype installed were already registered Skype users.

Video is a growing part of communications, and of Skype. According to statistics released recently by Microsoft, about 42 percent of all Skype-to-Skype minutes were video calls, and there were 1.8 billion hours of Skype video calls made in the year ending in August.

Skype was founded in 2003 by Niklas Zennstrom and Janus Friis, and it has about 124 million registered users. It is the largest Internet communications company, but has had difficulty being profitable. eBay bought the company in 2005 for an estimated $2.6 billion, but then sold it to an investor group last fall for an estimated $2 billion.

Microsoft to buy Internet phone company Skype

US software giant Microsoft is all set to buy the Internet phone company Skype for $8.5 billion in cash as it battles to stay relevant in an online world dominated by Google and Apple.

Buying Skype is giving Microsoft Corp. a potentially valuable communications tool as it tries to make a bigger splash on the Internet and become a bigger force in the increasingly important smartphone market.

Skype boasts about 663 million users worldwide who make voice and video calls over the Internet.

Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer reportedly championed the deal, which was estimated to have a price tag of $8.5 billion in what would be the decades-old technology company's most expensive acquisition to date.

Skype was launched in 2003 by Estonian software developers who were part of the group that created peer-to-peer file-sharing service Kazaa.

Millions of people use Skype to make low cost or free phone calls over the Internet using their computers or smartphones.

Buying Skype could be a way for Microsoft to shed some of its business software image and gain momentum in a hot smartphone market at a time when Internet lifestyles are going mobile.

Skype in January closed a deal to buy Qik, a California startup that specializes in allowing people to use smartphones to stream video to Internet-linked friends in real time.

The acquisition came amid surging popularity of video chat using smartphones, tablets and desktop computers.

Skype handled 24.7 percent of all minutes spent on international phone calls last year and 40 percent of calls between Skype users were video, Skype chief executive Tony Bates said while announcing the Qik takeover.

Bates said Skype was also continuing its push into living rooms, expanding a line of televisions embedded with its Internet telephony service and even infusing the software in a Blu-ray player made by Panasonic.

Online auction giant eBay in 2009 sold most of its stake in Skype to an investment group that includes the two founders of the Web communications company. That deal valued Skype at $2.75 billion.

The firm, which has its headquarters in Luxembourg, bypasses the standard telephone network by channeling voice and video calls over the Internet.

It allows users to call others free of charge and provides the ability to connect with land lines or mobile devices at low rates.

Skype last year announced plans for an initial public offering of stock and appeared on its way to profitability, but investors are evidently eager for a pay-off.

Vaunted technology blogger Om Malik wrote that Facebook could benefit greatly from Microsoft buying Skype. Microsoft owns a minor share of Facebook and powers Internet searches at the social networking service.

Facebook members would likely get access to Skype tools while Microsoft keeps the telephony service out of the hands of competitor Google, Malik said.

A Skype version 5.0 for Windows unveiled in October included a Facebook tab and integrated Facebook's news feed and phonebook into the Internet communications service.

A Skype buy could also play into Microsoft's efforts to promote its new Windows Phone 7 mobile software in a fierce smartphone market.

Microsoft joined forces in February with Nokia, the world's largest mobile phone maker. In an effort to radically change course and fight off encroaching competition, Nokia smartphones will be powered by Microsoft software, according to Nokia chief executive Stephen Elop.

Internet Explorer 9 launching on March 14

The final version of Internet Explorer 9 is launching on March 14. Microsoft announced the launch date on its Windows Team Blog. IE9 will be available for download at 9 p.m. Pacific, so for east coasters the launch date is technically March 15 at midnight.

Internet Explorer 9 is Microsoft's biggest Web browser redesign yet. The redesign takes on a minimalist look, which gives the user more browsing room by squashing menu space. It accomplishes this by using a single bar for URLs and searches - Google Chrome-style - and by placing browser tabs in a single strip alongside the omnibar.

IE9 also fuses with Windows, allowing you to pin Website shortcuts to the Windows taskbar and create lists of links from within those pinned sites. There's also a download manager. As for performance, IE9 supports hardware acceleration for HTML5 video.

Since launching the IE9 beta in September, Microsoft has added even more features based on user feedback, including ActiveX filtering and tracking protection.

The vast majority of IE9's features were set in stone with last month's Release Candidate, but Microsoft says it still has "a few surprises left." The company is planning a party for the release of IE9 at the South by Southwest conference in Austin, Texas.

Microsoft losing the Mobile World War

One would expect a company of Microsoft's caliber to make a better showing in the mobile OS market, considering its resources and experience. Nevertheless, Microsoft held 8 percent OS market share as of January, down 1.7 percent from October 2010. In comparison, Android gained 7.7 percent, while iOS gained only 0.1 percent, losing its second-place lead in October. RIM and HP/Palm lost for the second report in a row; RIM fell 3.5 percent in October and 5.4 percent in January, while HP/Palm's WebOS fell 1 percent in October and 0.7 in January.

Microsoft's mobile market record is poor, but not because the platform is bad; Microsoft is legendary in the IT world and has more OS experience than any other company does. Nevertheless, it is still smarting from the abject failure of the KIN cell phones, the Windows Mobile 6.5 disaster and the now-failing Windows Phone 7 OS.

Hoping to come back and expand its reach, Microsoft and Nokia announced their partnership, an impossible road for Microsoft since Nokia has almost zero U.S. market share and does even appear on ComScore reports. Even if Microsoft were to dominate Nokia sales, it could only hope to gain in a few areas where Symbian dominates.

No matter how one looks at it, the story is the same: Microsoft is losing the mobile battle. Windows Phone 7 is failing to attract the sales Microsoft originally predicted; in fact Microsoft lied about these predictions to make them sound better. While it's a decent system, it is nowhere near good enough to challenge Android.

Microsoft has one of the most innovative research centers in the world. Microsoft developed a good smartphone OS with Windows Mobile 2003. With so much time and experience on its side, it's hard to justify Microsoft's mistakes, lack of urgency and failed recognition by management of just how important the mobile market place was then.

Microsoft is facing the growing trend of users shifting from desktops to smartphones and tablets for Internet access, but not making the switch to Microsoft devices. The year has yet to play out and things may change, but it is difficult to imagine Microsoft gaining enough to overcome consistent Android gains.

Nokia partners with Microsoft to rival Apple and Google

Technology titans Nokia and Microsoft are combining forces to create smart phones that might challenge rivals like Apple and Google and revive their own fortunes in a market they have struggled to keep up with.

Nokia Corp., the world's largest maker of mobile phones, said Friday it plans to use Microsoft Corp.'s Windows Phone software as the main platform for its smart phones in an effort to pull market share away from Apple's iPhone and Android, Google's software for phones and tablets.

Analysts said the deal was a bigger win for Microsoft than Nokia, whose CEO Stephen Elop in a leaked memo this week compared his company to a burning oil platform with "more than one explosion ... fueling a blazing fire around us."

Moving increasingly to providing services for phone users, Nokia and Microsoft "will combine our strengths to deliver an ecosystem with unrivaled global reach and scale," Elop said in a statement.

Nokia said it will drive the future of Windows Phone, "innovating on top of the platform in areas such as imaging, where Nokia is a market leader."

But Nokia warned that the new strategy would bring "significant uncertainties" and said it expects margins to be hit by strong competition from rivals.

Neil Mawston of London-based Strategy Analytics said Microsoft was the big winner in the partnership, by teaming up with the biggest mobile hardware vendor in the world.

"In terms of expanding their distribution reach, this is a huge win for Microsoft," he said.

For Nokia the deal leaves uncertainty about what will happen to its current Symbian operating platform. Mawston said he expects it to be phased out within two years and "completely, or at least mostly, replaced by Windows Phone."

Although Nokia still is the mobile industry's No. 1, it has suffered from plummeting market share, dropping from a high of 41 percent in 2008 to 31 percent in the last quarter of 2010.

It has also lost its innovative edge in the fiercely competitive top-end sector and is virtually invisible - with a 3 percent share - in the world's largest smart phone market, North America.

Apples' iPhone has set the standard for today's smart phones and Research In Motion Ltd.'s BlackBerrys have become the favorite of the corporate set. More recently, Google Inc.'s Android software has emerged as the choice for phone makers that want to challenge the iPhone.

"Today, developers, operators and consumers want compelling mobile products, which include not only the device, but the software, services, applications and customer support that make a great experience," Elop said.

Nokia, which claims 1.3 billion daily users of its devices, said it hopes the "broad, strategic partnership" with Microsoft will lead to capturing the next billion users to join the Internet in developing growth markets.

The company said that it will also announce new leadership team and organizational structure "with a clear focus on speed, results and accountability."

"Nokia is at a critical juncture, where significant change is necessary and inevitable in our journey forward," Elop said, adding that the company was aiming at "regaining our smart phone leadership, reinforcing our mobile device platform and realizing our investments in the future."

Jyrki Ali-Yrkko, from the Research Institute of the Finnish Economy, described Nokia's cooperation with Microsoft as "surprising."

"The strengths will be in Microsoft's strong position in various corporate solutions and server solutions, but its weakness is that Microsoft perhaps doesn't have a broad, user-oriented group of developers like those around Android or Apple," Ali-Yrkko said.

Microsoft sells 2 million units of Windows Phone 7 software

Microsoft Corp sold more than 2 million units of its new Windows Phone 7 software to handset makers last quarter, a strong start for the new software launched in October, but still far behind Apple Inc's iPhone and Google Inc's Android system.

The world's largest software maker, which licenses the technology to handset makers such as Samsung Electronics Co Ltd, LG Electronics Inc and HTC Corp, also said there were now more than 6,500 apps for download by users from its online marketplace.

"The numbers show pretty good momentum on the sales of the platform," said Al Hilwa, an analyst at tech research firm IDC. "Anecdotally almost everyone who has seen the phone has commented on the style and fluidity of the interface. The apps numbers are excellent for this early stage of the lifecycle."

Despite the strong start, Microsoft still lags its main rivals in the smartphone market.

Bill Gates' successor Ray Ozzie to retire

The Microsoft Corp executive, Ray Ozzie, who took over the role of chief software architect from Bill Gates is to step down, following a tenure in which the Windows-maker lost ground to Google and Apple.

Chief Executive Steve Ballmer said Ray Ozzie would not be replaced, raising questions about the leadership and direction of the world's largest software company after a string of high-profile departures.

Ozzie, who spearheaded Microsoft's move toward providing software and computing power over the Internet - known as "cloud computing" - had achieved what he set out to do, one person close to the executive said, although others questioned whether he had had ever had much impact.

"Ozzie leaving highlights that Microsoft has been kind of lost in the woods ever since Bill Gates left," said Toan Tran, an analyst at Morningstar. "They let Google solve search, they let Apple figure out smartphones, and Apple is in the process of figuring out non-Windows PC devices with the iPad."

He is the latest in a line of Microsoft executives to exit the company in the wake of Gates' retirement from day-to-day work at the company in 2008, following platforms and services chief Kevin Johnson, Chief Financial Officer Chris Liddell, phones and games chief Robbie Bach and Office unit head Stephen Elop.

It cements control of the company's direction under Ballmer, who said he did not need to replace Ozzie.

"We have a strong planning process, strong technical leaders in each business group and strong innovation heading to the market," said Ballmer in a memo to employees.

The 54 year old, Ozzie, who created the groundbreaking Lotus Notes email system early in his career, took on the role of overseeing Microsoft's software direction in 2006. His role became more visible after Gates's retirement.

He had made a splash at the company in 2005, shortly after he joined, with his now-famous "Internet Services Disruption" memo, which pushed Microsoft toward the Internet and cloud computing.

Some saw that as a challenge to Microsoft's core business of getting software installed on as many computers as possible, but the company now says it is "all in" for cloud computing, although it is still far from certain that Microsoft will ultimately realize the change of business model or benefit from it.

Ozzie's key project, the "Azure" platform for developing cloud-based applications, debuted this year to moderate success, and is now part of another unit, Microsoft's Server and Tools division.
The company is now extending beyond Azure, trying to grab a greater share of customers' tech spending by offering to handle their servers, data storage and other computing needs.

Ozzie cut a slightly detached figure at Microsoft, and never fully established himself as a force at the company's campus near Seattle, preferring to spend half his time at his home in Massachusetts.

The move signals a new focus on entertainment at the world's largest software company, where it has lost ground to Apple Inc and Google Inc recently.

According to a memo sent by Ballmer, Ozzie will focus on entertainment efforts at the company and retire after an unspecified time, which people familiar with the matter said would be a matter of months.

Ozzie's move could revitalize entertainment efforts at Microsoft. Its entertainment and devices unit, which includes the Xbox game system and the new Windows 7 phones, has been struggling to win consumers in areas like phones, TV software and tablets, where Apple and Google are charging ahead.

Microsoft to launch social networking phone

Software giant Microsoft is to launch its own mobile phones in the US later this year as it aims to challenge the growing smartphone dominance of its main rivals Apple and Google.

The phones will be made available in July exclusively on Verizon, the largest cellphone carrier in the US, and will be aimed at heavy users of social networks. It is reported that initially Microsoft will launch two phones. The two phones are codenamed 'Pink' and 'Pure', and will be manufactured for the software giant by Sharp.

Last month Microsoft unveiled a new mobile operating system that was widely praised by technology pundits.

Microsoft used to enjoy a leading position in the smartphone arena but has seen its position severely eroded by Apple's iPhone, by the Blackberry and by numerous devices running Google's Android operating system.

Microsoft to bring Xbox Live to Windows Mobile

What if you could play all your favorite Xbox Live games on your mobile phone? You may soon be able to do just that, if a job listing from Microsoft offers any clue.

Based on recent job postings on Microsoft's site, it appears that Redmond is making moves to bring Xbox Live to Windows Mobile devices. The competitive differentiating capability may be available when Windows Mobile 7 debuts in late 2010.

Microsoft posted the listing on its Connected Entertainment job site on Dec. 23. The job title is Principal Program Manager - LIVE Entertainment for the Xbox Live product. The post outlined how Microsoft is connecting players via the Live services on new devices beyond the console.

"We need a Principle Program Manager who can help drive the platform and bring Xbox LIVE enabled games to Windows Mobile," the post said. "This person will focus specifically on what makes gaming experiences 'LIVE Enabled' through aspects such as avatar integration, social interactions, and multi-screen experiences."

The Mobile-Gaming Landscape
Could Microsoft be setting out to compete with Nokia and Apple on the mobile-gaming front? Microsoft would have some catching up to do, but with the popularity of Xbox Live, the software giant could make strides quickly.

Games continue to dominate Apple's App Store - there are currently nearly 950 games available. Apple has sold more than 30 million iPhones and iPod touch units, keeping pace with Nintendo's Wii video-game console. The iPhone opened up a new world of gaming potential for mobile devices that some call the smartphone games 2.0 market. According to media research firm Screen Digest, the iPhone accounts for 10 percent of the U.S. mobile-gaming market. For Nokia's part, the N-Gage is a made-for-mobile games service available in compatible Nokia Nseries and other S60 3rd Edition devices from Nokia. N-Gage aims to make it easy to find, try, buy, play and manage high-quality mobile games as well as connect to friends and other players in the N-Gage Arena, Nokia's mobile-gaming community. But Nokia is not making the same headway as Apple.

Microsoft's Mobile Opportunity
Market researcher DFC Intelligence predicts the global market for mobile and portable games will reach $11.7 billion by 2014 - and Apple will get most of the pie. Games sold for the iPhone and iPod touch could grab as much as 24 percent of the portable game software sales, DFC reports. That could change, though, if Microsoft gets into the game with its Xbox Live services.

Microsoft Bing coming to IPhone Apps

Microsoft is targeting the iPhone as another avenue for boosting usage of its Bing search engine.

Microsoft has released a software developer kit designed to make it easier for iPhone developers to build access to Bing into their applications. Using the SDK, a developer can build an iPhone application that searches Bing for Web information, images, videos, news and phonebook results.

Developers can only query Bing from applications built on Cocoa or Cocoa Touch, APIs for building applications on the iPhone.

Google is the default search engine in the iPhone's Safari browser, and users can decide to switch that to Yahoo. Otherwise, if iPhone users want to access Bing they have to type in the URL.

The SDK will also let developers incorporate Bing searches into applications for Macintosh computers.

While Microsoft and Apple compete in the mobile-phone market, other Microsoft services and applications are already available on the iPhone. For instance, the iPhone supports Microsoft's ActiveSync to let people access their Exchange e-mail. In addition, Microsoft's Live Labs group released an iPhone application for Seadragon, the technology that lets users browse through potentially very large images.

Microsoft Nokia alliance to rival RIM

Microsoft Corp and Nokia announced an alliance to bring business software to smartphones and counter the dominance of Research in Motion Ltd's BlackBerry.

The alliance between the world's largest software company and cell phone maker means the latest versions of Microsoft's Office applications, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint and messaging, will be available on a range of Nokia cell phones, which make up 45 percent of the global smartphone market.

The two companies, at one time fierce rivals in the mobile telecommunications business, expect to offer Nokia phones running Office sometime next year.

"This is giving some of our competitors - let's spell it out, RIM - a run for their money," said Nokia Executive Vice President Robert Andersson, in a telephone interview. "I don't think BlackBerry has seen the kind of competition we can provide them now."

Research in Motion's BlackBerry created the market for mobile e-mail, and its dominant position in the corporate sector, especially in North America, has protected it from Nokia's attempts to crack the market in recent years.

"RIM should be reasonably safe in the near-term because Nokia's presence in the U.S. is relatively small. Partnering more closely with Microsoft will help to raise Nokia's profile in the U.S." said Neil Mawston from research firm Strategy Analytics.

The alliance also aims to counter Google Inc's recent move into free online software, targeted at Microsoft's business customers, and the growing popularity of Apple Inc's iPhone device.

"It's clear that Nokia and Microsoft are both facing competitive challenges, most notably from Google. It makes sense for these two companies to work together to see if they can pool their competitive strengths to try and counter some of this pressure", said John Jackson, an analyst at wireless research firm CCS Insight.

The alliance means Microsoft's new Office suite of applications could be available to a much wider audience than the users of Windows Mobile phones, which make up 9 percent of the smartphone market.

"We see this as a great opportunity to deliver Office Mobile to 200 million Nokia smartphone customers," said Takeshi Numoto, an executive at Microsoft's Office business.

Analysts said Microsoft is clearly looking at the largest possible audience with the Nokia deal.

Microsoft to develop a system for web browser switching

World's largest software company, Microsoft Corp is developing a feature in its new operating system that allows users to turn off Internet Explorer and other key Microsoft programs.

The new feature is a major step for the software giant, which has been accused by competitors and regulators of forcing consumers to run its own software, squeezing rivals' offerings out of the marketplace.

The new design will make it easier for users to remove any traces of Internet Explorer from their desktop, although the software will remain installed on the computer, and allow them to run other browsers more smoothly.

Last month Google Inc, which recently launched its own Chrome browser, joined the Mozilla foundation, producer of the Firefox Web browser, and Norway's Opera, in protesting Microsoft's dominance in the browser market.

Vodafone comes with Microsoft Online Services

World's largest mobile phone network operator (by revenue), Vodafone is going to offer Microsoft Online Services to small and medium-sized businesses through computer, phone and browser.

The Vodafone Group will sell and manage Microsoft products such as e-mail, calendars, portals, instant messaging and web conferencing tools.

Microsoft Online Services are available in the United States and according to Vodafone Group, these services would be available in other markets in the first half of 2009.

“By combining Vodafone's fixed and mobile communication services with Microsoft Online Services we can provide all the elements of a fully hosted communications solution,” said Tom Craig, Global Business Services Director of Vodafone Group.

Microsoft and Vodafone- the two companies intend to continue growing their partnership through future collaboration and development.