Android on Nokia: Microsoft’s Asha problem

The Android on Nokia story, which has been percolating ever since word first leaked out about a Nokia “Normandy” device, boiled over yesterday with a Wall Street Journal post reporting that Nokia is indeed planning to announce a Nokia

By Kip Kniskern in Mobile Opinion
February 11th, 2014 at 12:19 pm

Xbox gearing up for Music, Video… and Reading

Last October, we caught a mention of a new team at Microsoft, the “Xbox Music, Video, and Reading” team, responsible for the currently available Xbox Music and Video apps, and apparently more than that. Now, thanks to a

By Kip Kniskern in News
February 7th, 2014 at 9:48 am

How to win at Microsoft: notes on a new CEO

The day started early here in Seattle – Microsoft announced Satya Nadella as their new CEO at 6am PST, just in time for the stock markets in New York to open, three time zones away. Since then, we’ve been poring …

By Kip Kniskern in Opinion
February 4th, 2014 at 8:45 pm

Microsoft invests $15 million in Foursquare, gets licensing deal in return

The Wall Street Journal is reporting today that Microsoft has invested $15 million in popular location check-in service Foursquare, and has signed licensing deal with the New York based company:

In addition to an equity investment, Microsoft has signed

By Kip Kniskern in News
February 4th, 2014 at 10:45 am

India abuzz with Satya Nadella’s hiring

In choosing Satya Nadella as CEO of Microsoft, the company has not only chosen an accomplished technologist and administrator but what’s turning out to be a favorite son of his home country, India. Nadella’s appointment is front page news in …

By Kip Kniskern in News
February 4th, 2014 at 9:06 am

Satya Nadella is Microsoft’s new CEO, Gates steps down as Chairman of the Board

Microsoft, in a press release this morning, has made the official announcement that Satya Nadella, a 22 year Microsoft veteran, becomes the third CEO in the 30 year history of the company, effective immediately

In addition, the company announced …

By Kip Kniskern in News
February 4th, 2014 at 6:39 am

First peek at the Samsung Huron Windows Phone 8.1 device, thanks to @evleaks

Mega-leaker @evleaks has posted what appears to be the first render of a Windows Phone 8.1 device, the Samsung “Huron”, said to be coming to Verizon. The Samsung device, which has been showing up here and there in user agent …

By Kip Kniskern in Mobile
February 3rd, 2014 at 11:47 pm

Everyone’s posting their Satya Nadella interviews… here’s ours (from 2007)

Back in 2007, Microsoft held what turned out to be a one-time event, called Searchification. Microsoft invited a number of media types down to Mountain View, California (to Microsoft’s offices there, where Live Search was headquartered at that time) to …

By Kip Kniskern in News
February 3rd, 2014 at 5:12 pm

Bing, Bill Gates, and the Board: Microsoft to retool?

A trio of new rumors have been circulating the past few days, of course perhaps overshadowed by a fourth, that Microsoft is about to choose a new CEO. Last week, Bloomberg reported that longtime Microsoft veteran Satya Nadella could …

By Kip Kniskern in News
February 3rd, 2014 at 11:03 am

What Microsoft can learn from the Seahawks’ “12th Man”

Tomorrow, Sunday February 2nd, the Seattle Seahawks play the Denver Broncos in the Super Bowl for the NFL championship. Seattle is pretty excited about it all, partly because we haven’t won at much of anything, partly because the …

By Kip Kniskern in Opinion
February 1st, 2014 at 9:45 pm