Microsoft posts

Courtesy of information designer Robin Richards, check this out: a visual map of all 264 companies Microsoft has acquired in its endless quest to dominate the market. Of course, Microsoft hasn’t always played by the rules of acquisition (not to be confused with the Ferengi Rules of Acquisition), but whatever – considering the company’s history of (mostly) decent software offerings, I’m willing to look the other way. Makes you wish we could see one of these for Apple to compare and contrast, huh? Click to make it big! …

Although he’s not quite the household name as Bill Gates, Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen is undeniably an incredibly influential technology innovator. But while Allen and Gates revolutionized the computer software landscape together — and become billionaires in the process — there were times when their partnership wasn’t as solid as it appeared to outsiders. Allen’s new memoir Idea Man chronicles the development of Microsoft as well as the unique relationship between the company’s two founders. While the two started the company as friends, Allen says Gates’ competitive nature…

Microsoft announced this morning that they are moving forward with plans to buy Skype for $8.5 billion in cash from the investor group led by Silver Lake. The agreement has been approved by the both boards. What does this mean for both companies? For Microsoft, it gives them proven technology that is in a state of growth and that has high revenue potential based upon the direction of the telecommunication industry. For Skype, it’s cash. It isn’t clear whether or not the company needed cash, but it’s unlikely. Over the next few months, we’ll see how it shakes out, but this could be a sign of Microsoft’s…

There is little doubt that the self-perception of “Mac people” and “PC people” are often completely different, just as the way they look at their counterparts differ. Still, it’s surprising to see just how much difference there is in these perceptions. This graphic by our friends at Hunch breaks down the debate that has been raging for over a decade. Are you a Mac or a PC? Or neither? The debate will go on as long as both computer types dominate the marketplace. Click to enlarge. …

Sit back, and relax. For the rest of your life. Quite possibly the coolest Kinect hack yet has come from Microsoft itself – in the form of this Kinect-powered motorized armchair, built using the soon-to-be-released Kinect PC SDK. With a flick of the wrist, the chair reclines, adjusts, and even becomes mobile, all while you laze about. If this blatant incarnation of slothdom isn’t the reason technology made it to this point, nothing is. Behold! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RewJHNkjog0 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0X-ZJWqmaes Alright, so the operation of this thing is still a little…

Yes, Microsoft is making great strides with Windows 8. Yes, Microsoft is making a document reader. Yes, it is a document reader… but there is a reason why this is noteworthy. Why? It’s called AppX. This Windows 8 document reader is the first known application for Windows 8 that will utilize AppX technology. AppX is a new packaging technology that will make applications act more Windows Phone 7 apps. They will be self-contained packages that can be used to run and install applications to the operating system. And if it sounds a lot like what Mac OS X already does… well… yeah…: Of even more interest,…

The parody amongst technology companies continues to make everyone look like everyone else. Brands persist, but services and products seem to blend into each other. Everyone is starting to offer what everyone else has. This comic from JoyofTech puts it all into perspective for us. Who is going to be in social? Who will be a player in search. This guy wants to be like that guy, but this other guy is already looking like something else. It’s a mess. As humorous as it all seems, it’s starting to become a reality. …

When you enter that level of Internet embarrassment that people start to develop memes about you, you’ve transcended bad to become good again. Just as Rick Astley rematerialized in the form of the Rick Roll, a new effort is being made to “save” IE6. On the website SaveIE6, people can sign a petition to bring the dead browser back from the realm of irrelevance. “These days we are inundated with bloated web browsers that overcomplicate our lives. However, there is one eminent exception: IE6. It has been around since 2001 and is still one of the most powerful and versatile browsers available.” The site…

Microsoft and Nokia have one thing in common: they like to do things extraordinarily slow. It appears that their newfound relationship which makes Nokia the future hope for Windows Phone 7 is also going to take it slow. Any hope for a WP7-powered Nokia device this year is fading fast. The managing director at Nokia revealed that the company has a 12-month plan to integrate WP7 with Nokia devices. This would put a release date around the first quarter of 2012 if all things go according to plan. Only then will we learn if WP7 and Nokia was a wise decision. Until then, Nokia has around 20 Symbian-powered…

Let the money exchange flow both ways. That’s what is starting to transpire in the Nokia/Microsoft deal and there are a lot of zeros involved in the transactions. Microsoft is set to pay Nokia Oyj over $1 billion for the development and promotion of Windows-based phones. In exchange, Nokia pays Microsoft for each copy of Windows used in its phones. Stocks have fallen over 25% since the announcement of the agreement between the two companies less than a month ago. According to Colin Gillis, analyst at BHC Partners, “This gives Microsoft scale and allows Nokia to rip out costs. Microsoft is getting…