Author Archive

Will we ever see Instagram on Windows Phone?, and other app shenanigans

A few years ago, it was Angry Birds – that definitive mobile app that proved, or disproved, the worth of Microsoft’s mobile app selection. Everyone just had to have Angry Birds, and it wasn’t available for Windows Phone. Microsoft pleaded …

Nokia Lumia 625: officially coming to (everywhere but US) in Q3

072313_1734_Nokia625off1.pngThe news is officially out about Nokia’s latest Lumia phone, the 625. In a press release, a web page, and a post on the official Nokia Conversations blog, Nokia earlier today announced the new phone, featuring a …

SkyDrive momentum

When Microsoft introduced Windows 8.1 at Build a few weeks ago, it also introduced a newly revamped version of SkyDrive that now ships as part of Windows 8.1. You no longer need to download a separate SkyDrive desktop app, it’s …

The Surface RT debacle

Microsoft’s 4th quarter earnings came out yesterday, and while the news was mixed, the big bombshell was news that Microsoft wrote down $900 million on poor sales of the Surface RT, and its subsequent price slashing. Chief Financial Officer …

Some thoughts on Microsoft and the NSA

Remember the old proverb about blind men describing an elephant? That’s the situation we’re in when trying to get our heads around all the news swirling around Edward Snowden’s revelations about the NSA, PRISM, and the extent of cooperation …

Microsoft, reorganized

So the rumored Microsoft reorganization was officially announced today, coming down pretty much just how Bloomberg News and All Things D said it would. In case you missed it (or spent an enjoyable 12 hour day at work, like …

Microsoft Reorg: A new focus on Mergers and Acquisitions?

reorgEver since word leaked out last month that Steve Ballmer was planning a major reorganization of Microsoft, the reorg has been a hot topic of conversation.   Would Ballmer organize the company into two camps, one for Devices, and one for …

Bill Gates to keynote MS Research Faculty Summit

Bill Gates retired as CEO as Microsoft in 2008, and hasn’t had much to say about the company since then, at least publicly, preferring to concentrate on his foundation and his many and varied philanthropical interests.  Now today, however, The …

Windows 8.1 Smart Search, powered by Bing, powered by ads

When Windows 8.1 shipped last week in preview form, it came with a new search experience called Smart Search, which searches not only your Windows 8.1 machine, but the web as well via Bing. Smart Search is featured prominently on …

Don Mattrick, the “Game Guy”, leaves Microsoft for Zynga

zyngaDon Mattrick, who until today was the President of the Interactive Entertainment Business (IEB), has left the company and will start a new job as CEO of Zynga on Monday, July 8th.  The news, which broke earlier today on All