Filling in our 2012 Microsoft calendar

screenshot_startScreen_webHope you had an enjoyable holiday season, as we did, and are ready to launch into what may be Microsoft’s most pivotal, and by far its riskiest year.  So much is at stake, and everything is hinging on the launch …

By Kip Kniskern in Featured News
January 3rd, 2012 at 5:12 pm

Facebook launches Messenger for Windows

Facebook today launched its own stand-alone Windows 7 only client for Facebook chat, Facebook Messenger for Windows (download link). After a bit of a flurry where the link was leaked and posted, apparently first by the Israeli blog

By Kip Kniskern in News
December 29th, 2011 at 11:23 pm

Is the Windows Phone story “starting to come together”?

windows_phone_logoMicrosoft and Windows Phone have taken center stage this week, admittedly during one of the slowest tech news weeks of the year, as quite a discussion broke out about the fate of Windows Phone.

It started with a post by …

By Kip Kniskern in Mobile
December 28th, 2011 at 9:58 pm

So, just what IS the problem with Windows Phone?

mac_vs_pc_2Charlie Kindel (who left Microsoft earlier this year after 21 years, most recently as a Windows Phone General Manager), posted today on an “impedance mismatch” between carriers and device manufacturers, and Windows Phone, where those carriers and OEMs …

By Kip Kniskern in Opinion
December 26th, 2011 at 8:57 pm

Happy Holidays from LiveSide!

photo-happy-holidays-p20327

Posting will be light for the next week, as we enjoy the holidays (and the fact that Redmond is a ghost town), work on some new years wishlists, and get ready for what may be the most crucial year for …

By Kip Kniskern in News
December 24th, 2011 at 12:31 pm

Can Microsoft and Nokia win in indoor location services?

mobile mall mapWe’re just beginning to see a new generation of services appear that will take advantage of the rapid consumer move to smartphone technology, rare only a few years ago, and still in its early stages.  GPS positioning services can provide …

By Kip Kniskern in Mobile
December 22nd, 2011 at 12:47 pm

SkyDrive simple, app-centric sharing (more complex than you think!)

ms-SkyDrive_h_rgbLast month SkyDrive made some basic changes to the way sharing is accomplished: allowing single files within a folder to be shared, allowing sharing to non-Live ID email addresses, and allowing more flexibility in organizing files and folders on SkyDrive.…

By Kip Kniskern in News
December 22nd, 2011 at 10:26 am

Microsoft’s last CES keynote will be a wrap up, “no significant news” says Engadget

Engadget reached out to Microsoft for reaction to the news this morning that this year’s CES would be its last, and received some interesting feedback from the company.  Although there has been speculation that Microsoft would deliver a Windows …

By Kip Kniskern in News
December 21st, 2011 at 11:27 am

Microsoft pulls out of CES for 2013

ces-logo-08Ending a long run of CES keynotes, and confirming one of Mary Jo Foley’s “wild rumors”, Microsoft, through an Official Microsoft Blog post by Frank Shaw, announced today that this year’s keynote (and booth presence) will be its last. …

By Kip Kniskern in News
December 21st, 2011 at 10:13 am

Is Windows Phone moving to the Windows org?

ms org chart cartoonToday, in a blog post she called “As the Microsoft Windows Phone org churns”, while noting the transfer of Windows Phone GM Matt Bencke to Xbox Live, Mary Jo Foley coined a new phrase, only half jokingly aligning …

By Kip Kniskern in Opinion
December 20th, 2011 at 12:37 am