Pub Pulled

Microsoft was in works with opening a bar named Spitfire that was going to be located at their Redmond campus. However, the day before the opening Microsoft decided to pull the idea of the bar and did not allow it to open. Microsoft spokesman Lou Gellos stated, "The goal was always to create a cool gathering place for employees, but to do so in a manner that's consistent with a business environment. We took a second look at that, and we were sensitive to the business environment. We decided we should do something more appropriate, and that meant not having a pub." Despite the fact that their intentions were to create a fun atmosphere, it seems a little weird that they were considering having a pub at all in the facility. That does not really add any amount of professionalism to the place and seems as if it would do nothing but harm and not good. So, I think that pulling the pub from the campus was a good decision, but the fact that they were finished the pub and ready to open shows their lack of consideration to the people involved in the operation. They should have thought long and hard before deciding on a project that would be completed only to deny them the opportunity to open their doors. It is a mere waste of time and money and does not represent Microsoft in a very good light when it comes to doing business with them in my opinion.
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/90888-Microsoft-Razes-The-Bar

Microsoft Joins Twitter

Twitter has decided to expand its site to ExecTweets which is sponsored by Microsoft. It is a way to “push tweets from some of the nation’s most prominent executives to Twitter users.” Microsoft is sponsoring this for an undisclosed sum but it is a smart move for Microsoft to get involved with Twitter. Twitter is growing into a huge social network like Myspace and Facebook. Twitter decided to create this ExecTweets site so this way executive people can have their conversations filtered and they are easier to find to all twitter readers. “Microsoft is sponsoring ExecTweets as part of its "It's Everybody’s Business" campaign, seeking to "encourage conversations within the business community," according to a company spokesperson. The company claims it’s experimenting with a number of digital marketing activities over the short term.” Business thought leaders will be able to find, follow, and engage in conversations. Microsoft has continued to expand and dabble in other company’s endeavors in order to help them as well. Overall, everyone wins in the situation. Microsoft gets to spread its name as well as gain money and the company they work with gets Microsoft’s expertise as well as the quality name of Microsoft behind their product. Twitter has over 8 million users. It is only assumable that Microsoft stands to benefit from going into a deal with such a rising social networking site.

http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Search-Engines/Microsoft-Now-Sponsoring-Twitter-Enterprise-Site-725461/

Microsoft Settles Xbox Dispute

Microsoft has settled its dispute over the Xbox. A company named PalTalk Holdings Inc. has accused Microsoft of two patent-infringements for the first shooter game Halo. The designs were initially created by MPath Interactive Inc. and were sold to PalTalk for less than $200,000. PalTalk was suing Microsoft for $90 million in royalties for the patents which seems a bit extreme when you see their purchase price of the patents. “The trial centered on technology for ways to control interactive applications over multiple computers.” Microsoft claimed that it took a different path when it developed the Halo game and also challenged the “validity of the patents and the $90 million that PalTalk was seeking.” In the end the two parties settled the case and PalTalk has claimed to be pleased with the outcome. The financial details were not disclosed but it cut the trail short and it was an “amicable agreement.” It was a good idea for Microsoft to settle quickly to avoid another long drawn out trial that catches the public eye. They are launching some new products shortly and there is no need to have bad media going around at that time. It is unfortunate that they have found themselves in court once again, but they made the best of a bad situation.

http://www.seattlepi.com/business/403501_msftxbox13.html

New Strategy for Microsoft

Microsoft has been working on their Azure cloud strategy which has been Amazon’s leading web service. Despite the fact that they are both going to be in the same market it sounds as if Microsoft hasn’t entered the competition mode, yet. Steven Martin, Microsoft's senior director of developer platform product management was quoted saying “We're rooting for them. We want them to be successful” when they spoke about Amazon offering Windows server as a cloud service. However, Amazon is not the only company that Microsoft will be competing against in the clod service. And even though Microsoft is not talking about competing with Amazon they were also quoted saying Microsoft's services would be "consumptive in nature" and "very competitively priced against market equivalents." It makes sense to assume that Microsoft is preparing to be a leader in the industry that Amazon is currently leading in. Microsoft expanding into new ventures is of course good for business once again. They have been staying on top of the competition and getting involved in as many software products that they can. Microsoft appears to be a smart and strategic competitor.

http://www.informationweek.com/cloud-computing/blog/archives/2009/03/microsoft_vs_am.html

Overpaid?

Microsoft has laid off employees due to the bad economic times. However, if it is not bad enough getting laid off, Microsoft added insult to injury by telling these former employees that they were given too much severance pay and needed to give it back. Having a position working at Microsoft you would not expect to be laid off at all. But when it happens and they want money from you, which is just salt in the wound. Microsoft admitted that it was a mistake on their part and they should have handled the situation better and in a more thoughtful way. Microsoft now contacted the employees that received a notice to pay back the money that it was no longer necessary for them to pay. It was terrible of Microsoft to not only take the people jobs but take money that was a product of their own mistakes. I think that when they realized the bad publicity it is causing they decided it might be best to allow the employees to keep it and then be more careful in the future layoffs with how much severance is given. I believe it makes Microsoft looks selfish and heartless to ask for the money back after it was their own fault, and then turn around and take back their decision when it seems it's getting a negative reaction form the community. Not a good move on Microsoft's part!

Video Games Are Educational?

Devin Krauter is said to be one of the best players of “Gears of War 2” which is a shooting video game. He claims that it “teaches him to think on his feet — and that he thinks about succeeding, not slaying.” (1) Microsoft found this intriguing. Microsoft, who published the game, is “studying the reactions of avid gamers to see whether video gaming can promote learning skills that carry over to the classroom.” (1) Microsoft has invested $1.5 million to start up The Games for Learning Institution. “The goal of the research is to see whether video games — and not just software specifically designed to be educational — can draw students into math, science and technology-based programs.” (1) Despite the fact that Microsoft is not the first to research this, they will bring in some much needed money as well as credibility. They are hoping that these games show that they are using cognitive skills as well as other motor skills. Many shooter games cause you to think in depth, keep track of health and bullets, navigate through underground tunnels, and find somewhere to take cover. Hopefully the games will focus more on the skills and not so much on the violence in the future to come.
I think that Microsoft’s involvement will be beneficial to the study. I think many kids engage in playing video games on a daily basis. There is something behind these games that is captivating and can hold their attention for hours. I do not believe the reason is to see the violence or see someone get shot. I think there is much more to why they are playing these games. Maybe it is a certain feeling of being in control and being able to survive by using specific tactics and skill you learn. Microsoft is bound to place a good name on this research simply because they are a main corporation who is interested in such a research. Some parents may feel that these games are nothing but bad influences on their kids. However, some may be more open-minded due to the fact a credible and wealthy company believes there is more to the game then meets they eye.

1. http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jDQ-SWd6OPxfVg2xMiYzMvPxF5UgD96FCQL82

Microsoft Xbox "lacks longevity"

According to Kazuo Hairai, Sony Computer Entertainment’s chairman, the Xbox “lacks longevity.” Hirai believes that the PS3 will finish ahead of the Xbox, which is one of Microsoft’s biggest competitors on the gaming industry. Hirai claims that regardless of who sells more and when they get sold doesn’t matter. He still feels as if the PS3 is the leader in the gaming industry. Sony doesn’t believe that Nintendo, another big name in gaming, is really a competitor because they use different components. The main competition is between the Xbox and the PS3. Hirai states, “Last time I checked, they’ve never had a console that’s been on the market for more than four or five years and we’ve committed to a ten year life cycle, so you do the math.” (1) This is a strong stance against Microsoft’s Xbox and the name behind it. However Microsoft didn’t take this claim lightly. Aaron Greenberg, group product manager for the Xbox 360, responded by stating “Hirai’s comments are indicative of an old hardware company that is comfortable with its market position.” (2) He went on to say that “Sony’s complacent attitude is out of touch with where the industry and consumer is today.” (2) Greenberg feels that “their ability to “out innovate” in terms of online capabilities and software strength will be the main defining factors.” (2) He concluded by saying that he stands strong behind the Microsoft Xbox and their ability to outsell the PS3. Also that their gaming library and leading online network is more efficient and advanced then PS3 making them on top in the industry. By taking this stance it shows that they are not afraid of standing up for their products and showing confidence in it as well. Acknowledging the competitors allegations and shutting them down with their own personal abilities that outshine the PS3 was a good move in showing proof of their capabilities.

As a personal user of both systems I have to agree that the Xbox 360 has had its share of problems. Having to send the Xbox 360 back twice for repairs only to have it break again doesn’t show me that the product is very high and mighty. However, the online community and their trophy and gamer score program makes you want to buy the games for their system because it keeps a score on your profile of how good you are on games and other people online are able to see that. This also allows you to keep track of your game score as well. This isn’t a big deal to me, but I know many people that will specifically buy a game for this system for the mere fact of the online community. I have not experienced any problems with the PS3 and the games are of good design and game play. However, with the comparison of the games on both systems I must admit that the 360 appears triumphant. That is, if you don’t mind having your system break down on you multiple times!

1. http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=206201
2. http://www.thetechherald.com/article.php/200904/2824/Microsoft-responds-to-Sony-s-recent-Xbox-360-criticisms

Microsoft Sells Comcast Stake

Microsoft has sold its 7.26 % of its Comcast stake. Comcast is the largest U.S. cable operator and Microsoft no longer has any traces of being involved with them. Microsoft invested $1 billion in Comcast to make the "deployment of high-speed data and video services via cable delivery network." Microsoft was able to sell its stocks over a 12 month period. It was said that they owned 150.9 million shares of Comcast stock. An important factor may have caused Microsoft to lose interest in Comcast. "Microsoft's initial investment in Comcast required the company to buy 500,000 set-tops with Microsoft software and, while Comcast purchased them by 2004, it eventually replaced them with its own alternatives." The question arises, where are those boxes? Some may have been used and sold, but others may remain in a warehouse rotting away. Microsoft was extremely interested in getting into the TV scene. This was one initial reason they joined forces with Comcast. However, Comcast was more interested in using their own designs and programs. It's an important decision for Microsoft to pull their shares out of the Comcast Corporation. If a shareholder is not living up to their end of the bargain it makes for bad business to remain with them. When a company fails to represent their investors they do not belong having a stake in their company. Comcast could have made not only themselves profitable, but Comcast as well by joining forces. I think that Comcast will regret the decision to not live up to the deal with Microsoft because it is such an important and strong company to have on your side. Comcast could have placed a TV on the desktop of many computers with the powerful name of Microsoft behind them. I think that Microsoft did what they had to do to make sure their investments are a profitable one.

http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssTechMediaTelecomNews/idUSBNG40896020090121

http://arstechnica.com/microsoft/news/2009/01/during-2008-microsoft-sold-150-million-shares-in-comcast.ars

http://blogs.barrons.com/techtraderdaily/2009/01/20/microsoft-sells-entire-comcast-stake/

Global Public Policy Blog for Microsoft

Microsoft launched a global public policy blog to focus on debates surrounding technology. They referred to it as an “On the Issues” blog. It was launched on January 9, 2009. The blog is supposed to “create a platform for the company to offer its perspective on public issues facing the tech sector.” (Aarti Shah) Their plan is to put the content in a style that is appealing and will target the people who are interested in public affairs at other tech companies as well as academics and such to build the sites community. The blog will eventually feature 30 – 50 Microsoft employees. This is a good opportunity for Microsoft to spread their wings in a different direction.

1. This will help them adapt to the changing nature of dialogue on public issues. (Brad Smith – General Counsel for Microsoft)

2. It will create a “transparent dialogue” with stakeholders. (Brad Smith – General Counsel for Microsoft)

3. They will be able to address workforce development, skills, and training issues in Microsoft’s organization. (Pamela Passman – VP of global corporate affairs at Microsoft)

4. It will help create a level of interaction in the corporate public affairs space that is lacking on the internet right now.

5. It allows them to be able to address breaking company news that is related to public affairs.

6. This blog could open the doors for other companies to blog about their public affairs and allow consumers to be more involved in what the company is doing.

http://www.prweekus.com/Micosoft-launches-a-policy-blog/article/126020/?DCMP=EMC-PRUS_Daily

Microsoft Makes An Impact On The Inauguration

Microsoft has created a project using their new technology called Photosynth to help capture the immediate moment that Obama becomes President of the United States. The software is going to combine multiple images of the same scene to create and abstract 3-D picture of the moment. Anyone in attendance of the Inauguration is encouraged to take photos of that moment and send them into CNN who is helping create this project with Microsoft. This project is sure to create opportunities and good buzz for Microsoft: (pcworld)

1. It brings together a mass amount of diverse people that will help get people involved in politics, as well as Microsoft's project. (pcworld)

2. Microsoft is able to be part of history in this country, which is monumental for both parties.

3. It inspires many people to not only use this product for this project, but to allow them the opportunity to try it out and see what the final outcome will be. This in turn could motivate users to continue using the product.

4. With people using Photosynth, it could spark their interest to look into other Microsoft products they could see as beneficial to them.

5. If this Inauguration project is a success, it opens opportunities for other companies to seek out using this product for their own business and endeavors.

6. Creating a good buzz about yourself and getting as many people involved, like Microsoft did, is usually always a success factor.