Yahoo! and Microsoft to seal deal to rival Google - Times Online

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Source: Times Online:

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Microsoft and Yahoo! have finally agreed an online search and advertising partnership in a bid to rival Google.

The revenue sharing deal is expected to be announced later today, more than a year after Yahoo! rejected a $47.5 million (£29 million) takeover bid from Microsoft and Yahoo!'s attempt to strike a search advertising deal with Google fell apart under regulatory scrutiny.

Under the expected deal, Microsoft's new Bing search engine will power Yahoo!'s searches while Yahoo! will handle advertising sales. The companies will use Microsoft's advertising technology to deliver appropriate ads alongside search results.

The deal may not be as far-reaching as many investors expected. It does not appear to call for Microsoft to pay Yahoo! in advance, which could disappoint Wall Street. Carol Bartz, Yahoo! chief executive, had said she would join forces with Microsoft only for 'boatloads of money'.

Microsoft is counting on Yahoo!'s search engine, which ranks as the second largest in the world with a global market share of 8 per cent, to pose a more formidable challenge to Google, which holds 67 per cent of the global audience, according to the most recent data from the research company comScore. In the US, Google's share is 65 per cent, compared with 20 per cent for Yahoo!.

Despite spending billions to upgrade its search engine, Microsoft still held just a 3 per cent share worldwide and 8 per cent in the US in the comScore rankings.

There is a chance a deal combining the powers of the second and third-ranked search engine companies would be blocked by antitrust regulators.

Shareholders of both Microsoft and Yahoo! have been urging the two to strike a deal for some time. Earlier this month, the activist investor Carl Icahn, who owns about 5 per cent of Yahoo! and is a director on its board, spoke out again in favour of a search deal, as talks between the two companies appeared to regain momentum.

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Microsoft Backtracks on Browser-less Windows 7 E

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Source: sitepoint.com

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Microsoft will offer a choice of competing web browsers with European versions of Windows 7 when the new OS is released in October 2009. The company hopes the action will adhere with European Union legislation and fend off further anti-trust fines. Although Windows 7 is selling well, Microsoft revenues are down by almost a fifth and costly court cases will not help.

Microsoft’s original proposal was to remove Internet Explorer from Windows 7 E (European version). Anyone pre-ordering Windows 7 in Europe is currently shown a warning that the OS will not provide a browser. For example, Amazon UK published detailed browser download instructions (although anyone needing these probably shouldn’t attempt an OS installation!) Hardware vendors would have been free to install the web browser of their choice, but IE was likely to remain the most popular choice.

The European Commission did not consider Windows 7 sans-browser to be a viable solution. It was too similar to the failed versions of Windows without a media player — they preferred a ballot screen to restore browser competition. Although full details are yet to be finalized, Microsoft has issued the following proposal:

Microsoft — rather than hardware manufacturers — will control the browser ballot screen.
Windows 7 E will be provided with Internet Explorer.
New installations of Windows 7 in Europe will show a web page offering a choice of five popular web browsers.
European Windows XP and Vista users will see the same ballot screen during a future automatic update (if IE is set as their default browser).
The list of alternative browsers will be based on 6-month usage statistics and will be reviewed twice per year.
Is this the right decision for Microsoft? I suspect so — the EU could have fined the company and ordered far more draconian changes to the OS. At least Microsoft have overall control of the ballot screen and can install IE without fear of legislative reprisals.

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Apple Tablet Ready by Xmas, Served with Multimedia 'Cocktail'

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Source: www.pcworld.com
Daniel Ionescu Jul 27, 2009 10:12 pm

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Apple is racing to launch a tablet-sized device in time for the Christmas shopping season, according to a report from the Financial Times (FT). Featuring a 10-inch touch screen display, Apple's tablet is also said to launch alongside "Cocktail," a project designed to increase sales of CD-length music.

The Apple tablet, rumored for more than a year now, has finally gained some credibility with FT's report today. The publication also quotes "executives familiar with the plans" saying that Apple could be planning a simultaneous launch of the tablet with a new service that is "all about re-creating the heyday of the album when you would sit around with your friends looking at the artwork, while you listened to the music."

What we know about the Apple tablet

FT is scarce on details about Apple's upcoming tablet device. The report describes device as a "full-featured, tablet-sized computer" which will be out just in time for the Christmas shopping season. The tablet's screen is reported to be up to 10 inches in diagonal but it won't have phone capabilities like the iPhone.

The FT says the Apple tablet will have Wi-Fi, allowing it to access to Apple's online stores. Besides Amazon Kindle-like capabilities, the Apple tablet is reported to be great for watching movies, according to an entertainment executive quoted by the FT. No word on pricing, but previous speculation points to an $800 price point.

What's in Apple's "Cocktail"

The FT is also reporting that Apple is working on a project code-named "Cocktail," a collaboration between the Cupertino company and record labels, namely EMI, Sony Music, Warner Music and Universal Music Group, which will bundle liner notes and video clips with the music sold on the iTunes Music Store (iTMS). The initiative is reportedly expected to be a reality as early as September.

The FT says Cocktail is a new type of interactive album, which will combine photos, lyrics sheets, video clips, and liner notes, all gathered into an interactive booklet. This new breed of album booklet will also play songs directly, without having to go back to iTunes, the report adds.

Myth or Reality?

Convinced by the Apple tablet? Judging by the expected screen size and rumored capabilities, the Apple tablet will not only be an oversized iPod Touch, ready for prime-time movies and music, but also a direct competitor to Amazon's Kindle if Apple will start selling books in the iTunes music store.

Although so far the "Cocktail" news would put multimedia at the heart of the Apple tablet, Internet connectivity is the key to delivering the content to the device. And this is where last week's rumors and today's FT report conflict: Apple Insider said the tablet would feature 3G connectivity, same as the iPhone, while the FT reported today that no such capability will be present.

So while this intricate detail is up for debate, the question to users remains whether they would want a 3G tablet that would be chained to a wireless carrier (be it AT&T or Verizon) or the somehow limited freedom to use any Wi-Fi access point they have handy?

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I pop bubble wrap at 7.15 bubbles per second! I popped 196 bubbles in 27.4 seconds at www.Virtual-Bubblewrap.com! Can you beat my score?

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Microsoft to Netbooks: Stay Tiny Or Pay the Price

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Microsoft to Netbooks: Stay Tiny Or Pay the Price

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Microsoft appears to have decided that any netbook with more than 10.2-inch screen isn't really a netbook at all, and should pay more for a copy of Windows 7. This is Redmond's version of the question facing the hardware companies themselves: How to maximize netbook sales without cannibalizing sales of laptops.

Answer: You can't, though Microsoft's pricing could force up prices on new, larger-screen netbooks. It could also land the company back in court.

The net is rife with rumors that Microsoft will establish a "maximum specification" after which netbooks will pay more for a copy of Windows 7. All of these trackback to a site called TechArp, which claims to have access to the new specs. Microsoft itself isn't talking, though the specs look legit.

The big difference between supposed specs and the maximums for Windows XP and Vista netbook pricing is that with the older operating systems a netbook can have up to a 12.1-inch screen. That seems quite reasonable. The new 10.2-inch Windows 7 limitation would make anything larger a laptop, regardless of how the marketplace or potential customers see them.

As someone interested in purchasing the new 11.6-inch Acer netbook, I will admit it is intended as a laptop replacement. But, only for a Windows laptop I wouldn't otherwise replace. My old Dell is nearing the end of its long life and I need a machine for some simple, low-tech tasks related to my volunteer work.

Give me the right machine for the right price and I will buy. Otherwise, I will just use a Mac notebook that I already own and be done with it.

Unlike those with pencil-thin fingers, I need the larger keyboard that goes along with the 11.6-inch screen. A 10-inch screen just isn't very useable for me.

I am willing to spend $350 on such a laptop, but I am price-sensitive, especially in this economy. If Microsoft increasing the OS cost were to raise the cost of the machine to $399, I'd be out of the market.

Microsoft needs to be very careful that its attempts to keep netbooks from lowering its laptop revenue don't end up costing it price-sensitive customers.

David Coursey knows a laptop when he sees one. Follow him on Twitter and send e-mail to him via www.coursey.com/contact.

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Microsoft’s Netbook Problem

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Source: technologizer.com

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The persisting popularity of netbooks has been a major drain on Microsoft’s Windows client licensing revenue. The worldwide economic downturn has driven many people to purchase cheaper machines, but I believe that the netbook’s ascension also reflects changing consumer tastes.

Windows client licensing revenue fell $1 billion from last year, and Microsoft’s unearned revenue from multi-year license agreements has flatlined.

Unless Windows 7 proves wildly popular, the company’s prospects for restoring its Windows business to its past luster appear to be grim. I expect that the company will experience a cyclical earnings bump that will crest near where previous Windows releases have in the past, but growth will be less substantial.

That is because there are simply too many alternatives, with the Web acting as the great equalizer. I access Gmail just as quickly on a netbook running Linux as I would on a higher end laptop powered by Windows. And even though netbook hardware is wimpy by current standards, netbooks are as powerful as high-end machines were on the not-too-distant past

Not everyone is a developer or a gamer. I believe that the netbook meets the “good enough’ threshold for most people, and there is a decent assortment to choose from on the market.

Many of those people may have been compelled to purchase a netbook by financial reasons, but it is highly possible that many will be satisfied enough to purchase another netbook in the future. It could mean a permanent change in consumer buying behavior.

Microsoft seems to understand that, because it is downplaying netbooks at every chance it can get, and is attempting to direct customers toward more expensive alternatives. But the industry has failed to create really compelling products that would “wow’ me into paying more–so far.

I am reminded of my late grandmother, who was a child of the Great Depression. She wouldn’t spend money needlessly, and would reuse what she had (including tinfoil). People are experiencing varying degrees of hardship during this recession, and it is not unreasonable to expect that their spending habits will be permanently altered.

Consequently, if Microsoft does not see its market share slide, it will see its revenues fall. It cannot charge as much for a copy of Windows on a $400 machine than it would have traditionally done on more expensive systems. The Windows cash cow is slowly beginning to dry up.

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Three Ways to Get Out of Debt

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By Chris Blanchet

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This seems like a timely and helpful article for most people... Ways to get out of debt!

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You might have heard that there are a million ways to make money. Likewise, there are probably just as many ways to get out of debt, but when it comes to achieving that goal honestly and effectively, your options are reduced. Here, we will explore three of the best ways to get out of debt without having to resort to debt avoidance techniques like bankruptcy or fraud (yikes). The first two will probably not come as much of a surprise, but the last one will certainly help expedite your efforts.

Analyze How Funds are Spent
Arguably one of the most well-known ways to get out of debt consists of writing up a budget and analyzing how funds are spent each month. The objective is to reduce these expenses and use the saved funds to repay debt. It does not matter whether you save $10 or $1000 every month, if the extra funds are paid toward debt, you have found one of the easiest ways to get out of debt. The problem is that this method often involves some form of sacrifice and can often be so aggressive that people easily give up or "fall off the wagon."

Looking at Increasing Income
When it comes to popular ways to get out of debt, looking at increasing income is definitely in the top three. This is because it is relatively easy to do in some cases. To earn more income, debtors can either take on a new job at a high rate of pay or they can get a second job. Ideally, the extra funds earned are paid toward debt. What makes this option a little more difficult, particularly at times like these, is that getting a new job offer could require updated skills or knowledge, and in some cases can mean extended travel. These expenses are often offset by the higher earnings.
Reduce Expenses & Increase Income
A final recommendation incorporates both. This means reducing expenses, say by 20%, as well as increasing income, say by 5%. For people who spend even $500 on expenses every month, this means reducing those expenditures by $100. As well, it means increasing income by a simple $125 per month. Both objectives are clearly simple to achieve, but the end result is an extra $2,700 per year being allocated toward debt repayment. Alone, they may not seem significant and even on a monthly basis it might not seem very effective, but over the course of a year, the impact against your debt is rather astounding. Now, imagine if you could further reduce expenses by another 10% or if you could improve income by 10% instead of 5%. The end result would be even more impressive.

Hopefully, these three popular ways to get out of debt have given you some inspiration and insight into how easily you can work your way out of debt. Clearly, these are not top-secret tactics. In fact, they are easily executable and once you put such tactics into practice you may even uncover other ways to get out of debt. The point is that taking action should come first and if any of these three methods can help, then please go ahead and get started today.

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Chris has more than 16 years of experience in the financial services industry, having helped thousands of clients fix their personal finances. As the author of the Help Fix My Finances e-book, he contributes Debt Consolidation Opinions at Debt Consolidation Opinions.com and maintains a debt-free blog at HowToRepayDebt.com.

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Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chris_Blanchet
http://EzineArticles.com/?Three-Ways-to-Get-Out-of-Debt&id=2594475

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