Now Microsoft will take its case to Yahoo's shareholders
In a statement late Monday afternoon, Microsoft responded to Yahoo's rejection of its initial takeover bid as many believed it would, and as the company itself indicated it probably might do: It will ask Yahoo shareholders to consider its proposal.
With no absolute white knight in sight, though with a few candidates for the job having been mulled around, Yahoo's executives may find themselves now pleading their case for independence with their company's own stockholders. As expected, Microsoft plans to pursue its takeover of Yahoo by way of "Plan B:" a direct offer to shareholders to override their own board of directors.
Best Buy to 'recommend' Blu-ray to customers
In the second hit to HD DVD in less than a day, retailer Best Buy announced Monday afternoon that it will begin showcasing Blu-ray to customers and recommend it as the "preferred format" over HD DVD. Best Buy will continue to carry HD DVD hardware and movies, but it will not be actively promoting them.
"Our decision to shine a spotlight on Blu-ray Disc players and other Blu-ray products is a strong signal to our customers that we believe Blu-ray is the right format choice for them," Best Buy president Brian Dunn said in a statement. The move affects both online and retail channels for Best Buy. On the store's Web site, the cheapest HD DVD player is $149.99, while the cheapest Blu-ray player is $399.99.
MSN Direct could put live content on WM6 home screens
At 3GSM in Barcelona today, Microsoft announced a preview of its MSN Direct service now available for devices with Windows Mobile, that will put weather, sports scores, business, stocks, and entertainment news on their home screens.
Microsoft promises all news and stock tickers will be easy to read, and users will be able to select what information is shown on their mobile phone by relevance and/or preference.
Nokia teams with Sprint, Reuters on worldwide mobile ad network
Nokia's new mobile ad network will be run in partnership with Sprint and some 70 major Web-based content providers worldwide. Meanwhile, Nokia is reportedly talking about a Windows Mobile deal with Microsoft.
In one of its many unveilings at 3GSM in Barcelona this morning, Nokia -- a mobile device maker reportedly talking with Microsoft about a possible deal -- today announced a new mobile ad network that will be run in partnership with wireless operator Sprint, major publishers Reuters and Hearst, and more than 70 other Web content providers worldwide.
Microsoft adapts Office Live into a low-cost SMB Web host
Feeling its way through the nuances of the Web applications market, Microsoft is shifting gears yet again with its Office Live Small Business service, this time lowering the fees and adding features for businesses establishing Web presences.
What had started a few years ago as Microsoft's first steps into the unexplored (for it) territory of Web-driven consumer applications, has transformed into something altogether different than an alternative to Microsoft Office. This morning, the company's long and winding strategy for the Office Live brand took yet another turn, with Office Live Small Business now being retooled as a service to enable businesses to set up their own Web sites, buy and sell goods and services online, and track their customers' preferences and online behavior.
Apple releases second major update to Mac OS X Leopard
Apple has released Mac OS X version 10.5.2, the second major update to Leopard, which brings with it 80 specific fixes and improvements. Most notably, wireless connectivity is now more reliable and stability has been improved when running third-party applications.
Apple has also added an option to turn off the much-maligned translucent menu bar that was introduced in Leopard, along with adding a Time Machine menu bar option. 18 issues have been addresses in Mail, while another 8 were fixed in Finder. Mac OS X 10.5.2 is available now via Software Update.
LiMo wants to make Linux a mobile phone platform
Today at 3GSM in Barcelona, LiMo announced the release of a software development kit with the ultimate goal of providing developers with a completely open, Linux-based alternative to mobile other operating systems.
"To reduce both complexity and time needed for supporting latest mobile software, demand for more sophisticated operating systems on mobile phones has grown," according to a white paper from the Linux Mobile Foundation, which is responsible for LiMo, a standardized Linux distribution for the mobile space. "An operating system that supports applications developed by third parties, and provides an open development and multitasking environment, is a key requirement to fulfill these changes and demands in the mobile market."
Samsung sued over incompatible Blu-ray players
It's a story that's been hard to ignore, and now a class action lawsuit has been filed: early Blu-ray players had compatibility problems when new features and DRM were introduced into Blu-ray movies.
While Blu-ray Disc Association representatives told BetaNews at CES that early adopters "knew what they were getting into" regarding the changes to the platform, some apparently didn't. Bob McGovern, who has become the lead plaintiff in the case, says his BD-P1200 player from Samsung was unable to view "numerous Blu-ray disc titles."
Motorola produces a Linux-based slider with an open platform
Today Motorola debuted what some believe could be its last new phones before cutting its handset division free, including a Linux-based slider.
Motorola's Wi-Fi enabled slider, the MOTO Z6w, can simultaneously connect on GSM for voice and the 802.11b/g frequency for data. It comes with a 2.0 megapixel camera and 14 frame per second video camera, and offers up to 4 GB of optional removable memory.
Why you can't have Vista SP1 yet: Microsoft fixing driver problem
Despite being released to manufacturing last week, Windows Vista Service Pack 1 is not being made available to all customers because Microsoft is trying to resolve an issue in which hardware devices may stop functioning after SP1 is installed.
Apparently, there is a problem that can occur when the operating system re-installs drivers after SP1 is loaded onto a system. Microsoft says the drivers themselves are not at fault, but ostensibly because Vista SP1 is already finalized, the company has opted to work with hardware manufacturers to implement fixes.
ARM is not showing an Android phone at 3GSM
Sometimes so much speculation surrounds an event that some might feel it's safe to simply presume it happened at the time predicted. But ARM confirmed to BetaNews it has not produced a portable handset prototype that runs Android.
Despite an abundance of speculation over the weekend that leading mobile processor manufacturer ARM would be demonstrating one of the first of many prototype handsets running Google's Android platform at the 3GSM Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, and despite the proliferation of photographs this morning purporting to actually be of that prototype, ARM's chief US spokesperson told BetaNews this afternoon that no such demonstration took place.
Microsoft buys Sidekick phone creator Danger
The mobile device company responsible for the Sidekick smart phone, and originally co-founded by Andy Rubin -- who now heads up an open source project at Google -- will be joining the Microsoft arsenal in the mobile space.
Although stymied for the moment in its multi-billion dollar bid for Yahoo, Microsoft forged ahead over the weekend in building up its cache of buyouts, leveraging the remote venue of a mobile conference in Barcelona, Spain to announce the purchase of Danger, Inc., the company that created the Sidekick smart phone.
Sony Ericsson's Xperia X1 takes on iPhone, HTC Touch
On the first official day of the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Sony Ericsson showed off its forthcoming touchscreen phone, the Xperia X1, its first Windows Mobile device.
It is quite a big sentiment for an equally large development development for both Sony Ericsson and Microsoft. With this phone manufacturer now on board, all of the top five cellular hardware producers except for Nokia now make a Windows Mobile handset.
Valentine's Day Zunes may not arrive in time, but will be free
Microsoft has sent a letter to buyers of its pink Zune, because the special edition player may not arrive in time for Valentine's Day. The Zune was announced just three weeks ago and has an engraved heart on the back. Apparently, the demand was too high to get all orders out on time.
"Due to some issues in our fulfillment center there remains a chance we will miss getting your Zune to you by February 14th," Microsoft wrote to buyers. The company will be refunding the entire purchase price of the special Zune, which should make customers happy even if the iPod alternative arrives after Valentine's Day.
AOL's behavioral ad service to premiere under 'open' mobile platform
After spending the last few years in a whirlwind of activity that, in the end, got it just as far along as if it had been in limbo, a kick in the tail by new Time Warner CEO Bewkes has AOL back in gear, with a mobile premiere for its new ad platform.
Back when Jeffrey Bewkes was being groomed to succeed Richard Parsons as CEO of Time Warner, it was plainly obvious his pet project upon assuming the helm would be AOL -- specifically, either giving it a specific mission or being done with it. At lightning speed, Bewkes has opted for the former strategy; and this morning in Barcelona, AOL is making clear it's no longer a dial-up service. It's a platform for advertising, and mobile is where the action is.
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