Microsoft | Internet Marketing Blog

In run up to Windows 8, Microsoft unveils a new Office

Microsoft is making big, bold bets on its new operating system, Windows 8, which is set for release later this year.

Windows 8 is, in large part, Microsoft's response to a world that is increasingly mobile, and in which tablet devices may be competing with desktops for consumers' computing time.

by Patricio Robles 17 July 2012 15:12pm 0 comments

Yahoo's new CEO: Google's Marissa Mayer

Just two weeks ago, sources close to Yahoo's search for a new CEO indicated that the ailing internet giant's board of directors was set to put the company's future in the hands of either interim CEO Ross Levinsohn or current Hulu CEO Jason Kilar.

Both prospective CEOs have strong media pedigrees, which suggesed that Yahoo's board was prepared to guide the company down a familiar and not-always-successful ad and content-driven path.

by Patricio Robles 17 July 2012 10:55am 1 comment

Will developers be RIM's death knell?

Even if a company like Microsoft decides to play white knight and save it, BlackBerry maker RIM will likely never be the same.

The company is in, for lack of a better word, chaos and many observers believe the end may be near.

by Patricio Robles 13 July 2012 20:54pm 1 comment

Examining the paid search impact of the Microsoft Yahoo Search Alliance

With the Microsoft Yahoo Search Alliance having finally made it to Europe, we looked at whether companies and agencies would be considering spending more money on the platform, particularly given concerns about Google’s near-monopoly within the UK search engine market.

For our UK Search Engine Marketing Benchmark Report, published in association with NetBooster, we asked companies how they had changed their paid search budgets across Google, Microsoft/Yahoo, and other search engines.

by Andrew Warren-Payne 10 July 2012 09:26am 1 comment

Amazon planning to roll out its own Android smartphone: report

When Amazon entered the tablet space, there were more than a few skeptics. But launching the Kindle Fire made sense: Amazon is one of the world's most efficient retailers, is flush with cash, has significant technical chops and brings a content ecosystem that few other companies can rival.

With all that, it's no surprise that Amazon has found some success with the Kindle Fire, which is now the most popular Android-based tablet in the world.

by Patricio Robles 06 July 2012 21:38pm 1 comment

Microsoft announces $39.99 Windows 8 Pro upgrade

Microsoft's launch of its Windows 8 later this year may be the most important product launch in the company's history. Seeking to compete in a world where the desktop is no longer king, the Redmond software giant has performed massive reconstructive surgery on its operating system in an effort to provide for a commercially-viable touch-first experience.

Change may be a necessity for Microsoft and its operating system, but change this significant rarely comes easy. Despite the fact that the company's Windows 8 effort may be its greatest in many years, there are plenty who believe the new operating system is a disaster in the making.

by Patricio Robles 03 July 2012 18:41pm 1 comment

Is it time to kick older versions of IE to the curb?

What does a perfect world look like?

If you're a web designer or developer, chances are your perfect world is a world free of older versions of Internet Explorer.

Despite the popularity of Chrome and Firefox, and the proliferation of non-Windows mobile devices, Microsoft's web browser is still used by countless millions around the world. Depending on what you're building and what versions of IE you're required to support, that can mean big headaches.

by Patricio Robles 29 June 2012 17:57pm 9 comments

Will Microsoft save RIM?

My how the mighty have fallen.

RIM, once a household name thanks to the then-ubiquitous BlackBerry, has seen competitors, namely Apple, eat its lunch. And its future prospects look more and more bleak each day.

by Patricio Robles 29 June 2012 14:44pm 4 comments

Google unveils the Nexus 7 tablet

The popularity of Google's Android may ensure that Google will play a prominent role in the smartphone market for years to come, but its future in the tablet space is anything but guaranteed.

Apple's iPad is the tablet standard, and lower-end competitors like the Kindle Fire and NOOK Tablet use forked versions of Android that Google can't control or monetize. For a variety of reasons, Google hasn't thus far been able to rely on third party manufacturers to build a killer Android tablet.

And it's unlikely to get easier for the search giant any time soon.

by Patricio Robles 27 June 2012 19:31pm 2 comments

Microsoft may make WebRTC a part of Skype's future

In the next couple of years, firing up a phone call or video chat with a friend on the opposite side of the world may not require you to launch Skype, Google Chat or one of the many programs that let individuals connect over the internet. Instead, you'll be able to communicate with voice and video using nothing more than your web browser.

If and when that day comes, you'll thank technologies WebRTC, which enable real-time communication between browsers. Originally developed by Google and currently supported only in development builds of Google's Chrome browser, companies like VOIP provider Voxeo are demonstrating WebRTC's nifty capabilities and providing a preview of what the future might look like for web-based communication.

by Patricio Robles 27 June 2012 17:27pm 1 comment