Music and marketing: five tips for being heard in a noisy space
The other day I eavesdropped as a pretty girl faced the teenage boy seated across from her and sang, “Tonight / We are young / So let’s set the world on fire”.
Frustrated by his blank stare, she said, “Don’t you know the song? It’s from that Chevy commercial”.
If that example doesn’t convince you of the power of music and marketing, nothing will.
Are You a Human brings gaming to CAPTCHAs
CAPTCHAs or conversions? While just about every business hopes to boost its conversions, the ill effects of spam bots and screen scrapers have driven countless companies to implement CAPTCHAs on their websites.
In some cases, CAPTCHAs are poorly implemented, leaving users (and potential customers) scratching their heads as they try to decipher text so distorted as to be incomprehensible.
Microsoft launches a new social network, but why?
When it comes to large tech companies and how they've fared with social networking, one could argue that Microsoft is the most successful.
Google has struggled to build viable homegrown social networks, Yahoo has largely done little of note, AOL purchased Bebo for $850m only to drive it into the ground, etc.
Microsoft's claim to success in the social space? A $240m investment in Facebook in 2007 which valued the social network at $15bn.
Apple's answer to Windows 8 ultrabooks: a $799 MacBook Air?
Windows 8 is coming, and Microsoft isn't the only company hoping that its newest operating system is a hit with consumers.
Chip giant Intel is betting big on ultrabooks -- thin, lightweight laptops similar to the MacBook Air -- and is investing big bucks to ensure that a slew of them hit store shelves as soon as Windows 8 is released later this year. The good news for consumers on a budget: some of those ultrabooks could cost as little as $699 if manufacturers have their way.
Microsoft News Roundup: Binging on the Nook
Following Microsoft’s acquisitions and “partnership,” palm greasing is getting more exciting by the hour.
The headlines have been coming fast since the end of Q3 11: $8.5b Skype acquisition. $250m quarterly infusion to Nokia. $24m in subsidies for Windows Mobile app developers. $1b Aol patent grab – now flipped to Facebook for $500m. Vague, behind the scenes dealing with Comcast. And now this: a $300m investment in Barnes & Nobles’ Nook division.
Something is up.
Microsoft forms partnership with B&N, invests $300m in NOOK business
Thanks to Amazon's dominance, it's easy to forget that traditional bookseller Barnes & Noble (B&N) has managed to build a decent digital portfolio of its own.
In the past, that has sparked speculation that B&N would eventually spin off its NOOK division, freeing its digital business from the baggage of its brick-and-mortar business.
Box, Microsoft fight back against Google Drive
After years of waiting, Google finally launched Google Drive this week.
Naturally, Google's entry into the online storage market raised questions about some of the companies that have established themselves in the space, such as Dropbox. Will Google make it harder for them to grow and thrive, or will it fail to gain traction?
Facebook spends $550m on Microsoft patents
That didn't take long. Just two weeks after Microsoft announced that it had purchased a major collection of patents from AOL for $1bn, Microsoft has turned around and sold 650 patents to Facebook, which is being sued by Yahoo for patent infringment.
Microsoft will retain a license to the patents, and as part of the $550m deal, Facebook will also receive licenses for AOL patents that Microsoft did not offer up for sale.
Q&A: Microsoft VP of advertising for EMEA Laurent Delaporte
Microsoft’s broad portfolio of products means it has interests in search, gaming, smartphones and entertainment - as well as its dominant brand of office software.
As VP of Microsoft advertising for EMEA Laurent Delaporte is tasked with trying to coordinate a coherent ad sales strategy across all these diverse and evolving platforms, which is no mean feat.
Three of his portfolios - Xbox Live, MSN and Bing - have been revamped in recent months to make them more attractive to advertisers.
Google releases better Android emulator
Ask mobile developers who work with both iOS and Android, and you'll probably hear from more than a few of them that the Android emulator is lacking. From poor performance to inconsistencies, there have been no shortage of complaints about the tool developers are provided with to test their Android apps prior to testing them on a real device.
So Google is doing what you'd expect it to do and trying to improve its emulator.
