ballmer
Latest
Microsoft's acquisition of Skype for $8.5 billion becomes official
It was pretty much known about since last night, but Microsoft and Skype have now obliterated any lingering doubt in the matter: the Redmond-based software giant will acquire the internet telephony company for a cool $8.5 billion in cash. Xbox and Kinect support are explicitly mentioned in the announcement of this definitive agreement, as is Windows Phone integration -- both the gaming and mobile aspects being presumably key incentives for Microsoft to acquire Skype. Importantly, this purchase shouldn't affect Skypers outside of the Microsoft ecosystem, as Steve Ballmer's team promises to continue "to invest in and support Skype clients on non-Microsoft platforms." Skype was first sold for a relative bargain at $2.5b to eBay in 2005, who in turn sold most of it off to Silver Lake in 2009 at an overall valuation of $2.75b, and now Redmond is concluding proceedings by tripling those earlier prices and offering Skype a permanent home. A new Microsoft Skype Division will now be opened up to accommodate the newcomers, with current Skype CEO Tony Bates becoming president of that operation and reporting directly to Ballmer. The deal is expected to close by the end of this year and you can read Microskype's full announcement after the break. Update: Microsoft has just disclosed a couple more details about the deal. It was signed last night, May 9th, though the price was finalized on April 18th. You can follow a live stream of Steve Ballmer and Tony Bates' presentation right here.
Kinect hackers give us iOS-friendly dodgeball and Human Tetris
Remember that Microsoft Rally Ball demo from a few days ago that showed Windows Phone 7's integration with Xbox? Well, the gang at Supertouch has stolen a bit of Ballmer's thunder with a new Kinect hack that lets you hurl digital orbs at your Kinect-controlling friend using an iOS device instead of a WP7 handset. The graphics for the game and the iDevice controls aren't nearly as pretty as Microsoft's cross-platform gaming solution, but the end result is pretty much the same -- flingin' balls with a phone while your friend dodges them courtesy of Kinect. Meanwhile, Frog Design has added a Human Tetris game to the Kinect's repertoire where players perfect their Vogue-ing skills by striking a pose to match an approaching cut-out on screen. Finally, all the shape-shifting fun with none of the goofy silver jumpsuits. Vids are after the break. [Thanks to everyone who sent these in]
Microsoft Rally Ball demo shows Windows Phone 7, Kinect, Xbox Live living in perfect harmony (video)
Though it's billed strictly as a technology demo -- not something we'll necessarily see in any imminent over-the-air update -- Microsoft showed off a pretty cool demo of how Windows Phone 7's Xbox Live integration could take advantage of Kinect down the road at Steve Ballmer's MWC keynote today. How, you ask? Using the Rally Ball game, a Windows Phone user was shown tossing balls to an on-screen character that's controlled by someone else on an Xbox using a Kinect. Simple, yes -- but perhaps as interesting as the Kinect aspect is the viability of real-time cross-platform gaming that Microsoft seems to be throwing its support behind. Seems like a good way to torture your friends into working out from thousands of miles away, doesn't it? Update: We have a video of this in action after the break!
Windows Phone 7's multitasking uses zoomed-out cards to check on your apps
Want to know how the eventual, inevitable implementation of app multitasking on Windows Phone 7 will look? Wonder no longer: it's cards, which seems to be the way a lot of guys are going after webOS showed how to do it right a couple years back, and it looks hot. To see this in action on WP7, simply hold the back button and you'll get a card-like view of all running apps. Pick your app and you're back where you left off in that one. You can multitask even in games, have Slacker playing in the background, and if you press a volume button while on the home screen you'll get a quickie interface for changing track, pausing, and playing. Microsoft indicated it didn't previously allow for third-party multitasking due to battery life concerns, but those concerns have been mitigated -- somehow. We're not sure of the API-level details that's letting all this magic happen, but we'll look for those later. All we know right know is that it looks great and we can't wait to try it out for ourselves.
Microsoft shows off WP7's future with multitasking, Twitter integration, and IE9, all coming this year
We've just barely begun to get ready with Steve Ballmer's keynote at MWC 2011, yet the company's Twitter and press feeds just scooped its main man. It's confirmed that Windows Phone 7 is getting multitasking for third-party apps and a suite of other updates, including Twitter integration and IE9 Mobile. We're still waiting on details on the multitasking, but the company has confirmed a "new wave of multitasking applications" in this next release, though hopefully that means open to all. Twitter will be integrated into the People Hub, so you can get your real-time "what's for dinner" updates right there. And, of course, Microsoft confirmed IE9 is coming. It'll deliver a "dramatically enhanced web browser experience" thanks to graphics and hardware acceleration that'll make the most of what your handset has to offer. Sounds tasty to us. We're told to expect the update in "early March," which isn't that far away at all.
Windows Phone 7 update with copy and paste, CDMA support coming in 'early March'
Though he wouldn't give an exact date, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer whittled down the availability window for the company's first big update to Windows Phone 7 at his keynote address to the crowds gathered at Mobile World Congress today. The latest message is that it'll be available in "early March," which puts us precious few weeks away -- more or less on track with what we'd been anticipating -- bringing support for CDMA radios, copy and paste, and performance improvements. Hopefully that clears the way for the 7 Pro on Sprint, eh?
Live from Steve Ballmer's MWC 2011 keynote!
Woo! Developers! Yeah! Synergy! Steve Ballmer is sure to bring his characteristic enthusiasm to another MWC keynote, though this one should be quite a bit different from the same presentation this time last year. Microsoft is no longer just talking about Windows Phone 7, it's shipping it all around the world, and now it has a major new partner in the form of the world's foremost smartphone seller, Nokia. Stephen Elop might still be around central Barcelona and drop by for a chat, but we suspect Microsoft will have some more goodies up its sleeve. Join us after the break as we liveblog every second of it.
Steve Ballmer looking for a few good engineers for Microsoft management?
Bloomberg's heard a couple whispers that Microsoft chief Steve Ballmer is looking to fill senior product executive roles with engineers. In other words, people who can really understand the products they're planning, pushing, and promoting -- a smart move, if it comes to pass. An announcement could reportedly be made as early as this month alongside a Courier resurgence. (Okay, not really, but let us dream a bit.)
Steve Ballmer looking into removal of Drive Extender from Windows Home Server
Windows Home Server hasn't exactly taken the consumer market by storm, showing yet again that people are more interested in shiny new toys than protecting their precious data. Still, there's been a huge amount of negative backlash from Microsoft's recent decision to drop Drive Extender from the next release of WHS, currently codenamed Vail. Drive Extender is the tech that enables multiple physical disks to act as a single logical volume, making it easy for even non-techy folks to add more and enable data replication. Terry Walsh over at We Got Served was similarly taken aback by the decision and took the opportunity to drop a note to Big Poppa Steve Ballmer. He got a response: From: Steve Ballmer Sent: 26 November 2010 05:30 To: Terry Walsh Subject: RE: MVP Feedback – Windows Home Server "Vail" Crisis Let's look into it Yes, it's a short response, and it course could mean anything or, indeed, nothing, but it is at least a response and a positive sign that the huge outcry among fans of Windows Home Server can indeed make its way to the top of the executive chain. Now we just wait to see what comes rolling back down...
Caption Contest: Steve Ballmer goes on kill-crazy rampage at Microsoft Store
In the photo above you see Microsoft's Steve Ballmer performing a ribbon cutting at the company's new store in Bellevue, Washington. Shortly after finishing with the ribbon, Ballmer proceeded to rampage the store and patrons, leaving 17 dead, 6 wounded, and a stunned Miley Cyrus wondering if she had made the wisest career decisions. Ballmer was finally subdued by Dave Matthews, who knocked the CEO unconscious with an 8-foot bong. Josh: "I'm a PC, and I'm going to mess up your insides so bad, you'll pray for death." Ben Bowers: "Anyone else want to claim Windows 7 was their idea?" Chris: "To the cloud! With Windows 7 and Windows Live, Microsoft can mix and match its CEO's best faces until it's able to piece together a photo it's proud to share." Ross: "Using the power of Control-X while mobile is just one of the many superpowers Ballmer has and Windows Phone 7 users don't." Darren: "Moments before this tremendous occasion, Ballmer begrudgingly confirmed a prompt questioning his true intentions to dismantle a red ribbon." Nilay: "Touch my junk and I'll have you arrested." Don: "There can only be one!" Vlad: "I love this company! I love it so much I'm gonna cut it up into little pieces and eat it!" Joe: "Clearly event organizers hadn't planned for every possible emergency." Thomas: "Baby Ballmer cuts his own cord thankyouverymuch." Myriam: "Developers! It's time to get cut and paste into Windows Phone 7..."
Ballmer: next release of Windows will be Microsoft's 'riskiest product bet' (video)
Windows 7 might be a massive commercial success and an undeniably rock solid piece of software, but Microsoft is apparently unwilling to rest on those soft and cozy laurels. Asked about the riskiest product bet the Redmond crew is currently developing, its fearless leader Steve Ballmer took no time in answering "the next release of Windows." His interviewers sadly failed to probe any deeper on the subject, but it might be notable that Steve calls it the next release rather than simply Windows 8, while the idea of it being risky also ties in with previous indications that Microsoft is aiming for a revolutionary leap between iterations. We'll have to just be patient and wait for more on that, though if you'd like a peek at Steve dodging question on tablets and the potential for Windows Phone 7 appearing on them, you need only jump past the break for the video. Update: It's also worth noting that Ballmer may not have been talking about revolutionary leaps as much as he's referencing the past issues the company has had when it's issued a major OS update (hello, Vista). The idea that making any big change to the operating system most of the world runs would invite a certain amount of high risk makes sense to us.
Microsoft to spend one billion dollars advertising Kinect and Windows Phone 7
Microsoft's serious about making Kinect a success. A $500 million kind of serious. That's the latest report, courtesy of the New York Post, on the change Steve Ballmer and company intend to drop to make sure that every living and breathing creature in the US knows about the controller-free controller this holiday season. That mirrors earlier analyst estimates placing the Windows Phone 7 marketing budget at a similar figure, which in total would amount to a cool billion dollars in advertising expenditure. We already know Microsoft's scooped the Old Spice Guy for WP7, but Kinect is getting the extra special carpet bombing treatment with Burger King, Pepsi, YouTube, Nickelodeon, Disney, Glee, Dancing with the Stars, People and InStyle magazines, and even Times Square all having a role to play in spreading the word. Yup, it's gonna be pretty hard to miss it.
Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 keynote video now available to watch... again and again
In case a liveblog and a never-ending stream of Windows Phones weren't enough for you yesterday, here's a chance to relive Microsoft's launch presentation of its grand OS redesign. It's kicked off by the big dog himself, Steve Ballmer, followed by Ralph de la Vega and Joe Belfiore giving us the lowdown on carrier pricing and new features. It's good, we promise. Though we can't guarantee it's quite as awesome as the UK presentation, which included a Stephen Fry soliloquy on the subject of smartphones, diversity, and Microsoft's redemption. That one we've got stored in our hearts, which, regrettably, don't yet come with a HDMI output. Video after the break.
Live from Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 launch event
The party starts soon! We're at the venue and about to get going, so tune back in at the times below! 03:30AM - Hawaii 06:30AM - Pacific 07:30AM - Mountain 08:30AM - Central 09:30AM - Eastern 02:30PM - London 03:30PM - Paris 05:30PM - Moscow 10:30PM - Tokyo
Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 launch event is Monday at 9:30AM ET, and we'll be there live!
As you may have heard, Microsoft is having a major event Monday in NYC to announce details surrounding Windows Phone 7 launch dates and devices... and Engadget is going to be there delivering the best live coverage in the universe. In case you don't already know, Steve Ballmer and AT&T's Ralph de la Vega will be on stage to delight your senses, and there will likely be lots of new hardware we'll be getting our hands on. You can see all of the news unfold in realtime right here at our liveblog post, and the whole thing starts tomorrow, October 11th, at the times listed below. Don't miss it! 03:30AM - Hawaii 06:30AM - Pacific 07:30AM - Mountain 08:30AM - Central 09:30AM - Eastern 02:30PM - London 03:30PM - Paris 05:30PM - Moscow 10:30PM - Tokyo
Steve Ballmer: Kin 'defocused activity from Windows Phone'
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has been willing to admit some of the company's missteps in the past, and he's just done so again in addressing the now infamous Kin. Speaking with The Seattle Times, Ballmer said that the "No. 1 message from Kin is a message of focus," and that ultimately, "it just defocused activity from Windows Phone." Not exactly a huge surprise by any means, but it's still pretty notable to hear straight from the top, especially considering how much it cost Microsoft to learn that message. As for the rest of the interview, Ballmer didn't make a ton of news, but he did say that we'll be seeing additional Windows 7 tablet form factors starting this Christmas, and he revealed that he does in fact have a Facebook page, but he won't say which of the many Steve Ballmer pages is the real one. Hit up the source link below to read the whole thing.
Ballmer on iPad: 'they've sold certainly more than I'd like them to have sold'
Poor guy can't catch a break. Talking to analysts today about the world of tablets, Steve Ballmer put on a brave face about his lack of a strong competitor to the iPad, saying of Windows 7 products in the works with third parties: "They'll be shipping as soon as they are ready." Unfortunately, Apple's iPad looms large, with Ballmer stating that "they've sold certainly more than I'd like them to have sold." Perhaps more revelatory, Steve likened the tablet challenge to the situation Microsoft faced when the netbook started out as a Linux product, mentioning that part of their chore is "tuning Windows 7," in addition to working with hardware partners. Obviously Microsoft is down, not out, when it comes to tablets, but will a few million iPads be their eventual demise or the impetus they need to succeed? Tune in next week someday for the thrilling conclusion!
Engadget Podcast 206 - 07.24.2010
This is an incredibly well-rounded and insightful double podcast. It is so well-rounded and insightful that it looks like it might turn into a triple podcast and is, quite frankly, the best podcast the Engadget Podcasters have ever seen. Hosts: Joshua Topolsky, Nilay Patel, Paul MillerProducer: Trent WolbeMusic: Double Rainbow 00:02:33 - Panasonic's new Lumix lineup: LX5, FZ40, FZ100, FX700, and TS10 all official00:06:52 - Canon developing smaller DSLRs to compete with mirrorless cameras?00:07:00 - Nikon planning "new concept" mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras with enhanced video modes00:21:12 - New Xbox 360 4GB ships August 3rd for $199, Kinect standalone priced at $149, bundle coming this holiday for $29900:30:48 - webOS 2.0 coming 'later this year,' says HP's Rubinstein00:30:58 - HP Slate no longer a consumer product, will arrive for enterprise this fall00:31:24 - HP files for 'PalmPad' trademark -- a webOS tablet, perhaps?00:31:35 - HP Slate 500 with Windows 7 surfaces on HP's site00:31:54 - HP confirms that Slate is still kicking, 'next steps' being determined00:41:52 - HP CEO: Palm could end up a 'sub-brand' of the company00:46:41 - Samsung Galaxy S review shootout: Captivate for AT&T and Vibrant for T-Mobile00:48:14 - Dell Streak review redux: thoughts from the New World00:48:41 - Nexus One is sold out in Google's store -- forever00:56:32 - Motorola mini Droid slider caught by Mr. Blurrycam00:59:07 - Droid 2 being prepared for launch, set to arrive August 23rd?01:00:29 - Apple posts record $3.25b profit in first full quarter of iPad sales, says more 'amazing products' coming this year01:00:48 - Apple begins iPhone 4 Case Program: apply for your free case or Bumper now01:01:26 - Apple delays white iPhone a second time, won't ship until 'later this year'01:03:08 - Apple starts refunding Bumper purchases automagically01:07:45 - AT&T announces 26 percent earnings growth for Q2, $4b profit01:16:28 - Droid X users gobbling up 5x the data of other Verizon smartphones01:18:00 - Microsoft reports $4.5b in profit, a record $16.04b in revenue01:18:30 - Steve Ballmer feeling pressure at Microsoft for stagnating share price?01:18:48 - Kin listed as at least $240 million writeoff in Microsoft earnings report01:21:44 - Microsoft to employees: 'everybody gets a Windows Phone 7!'01:21:50 - Microsoft wants employees to code Windows Phone 7 apps 'in their spare time'Hear the podcastSubscribe to the podcast[iTunes] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes (enhanced AAC).[RSS MP3] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in MP3) to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically.[RSS AAC] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in enhanced AAC) to your RSS aggregator.[Zune] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in the Zune MarketplaceDownload the podcastLISTEN (MP3)LISTEN (AAC)LISTEN (OGG)Contact the podcast1-888-ENGADGET or podcast (at) engadget (dot) com.Twitter: @joshuatopolsky @futurepaul @reckless @engadget
Microsoft reports $4.5b in profit, a record $16.04b in revenue
This time last year, almost to the day, Microsoft saw its first annual sales decline in history. Things are looking much better now, with the company reporting a record $16.04 billion in revenue, a 22 percent year-over-year increase for its Q4 revenue ending June 30th. In fact, revenue is up across all divisions, with Windows and Windows Live seeing the biggest uptick (43.5 percent to $4.55 billion) followed by Entertainment and Devices (27.3 percent to $1.6 billion). Operating income, on the other hand, paints a different picture of E&D, showing a $172 million loss for this quarter (compared to $141 loss in Q4 last year), but looking over the entire fiscal year, the home of Xbox and Zune this year did $679 million in operating income -- a sizable jump to the $108 million from 2009. The overall operating income for the company is $5.93 billion this quarter (net income $4.52 billion), a 49 percent increase over last Q4, and $20.36 billion for the year (18 percent compared with fiscal 2009). We know you're interested in comparisons, so we'll just go ahead and break it down for ya: the gang in Redmond is still beating Apple in both revenue ($16.04 billion vs. $15.7 billion) and profit ($4.52 billion vs. $3.25), but that margin feels smaller than it used to. Enough to keep the rumored pressure off Ballmer? Frankly, we don't even think biplanes could knock the man off the top of a tower, but Windows Phone 7 has a lot to prove, and fast. Microsoft is hosting a webcast of its report later today -- usually much ado about nothing, as far as we're concerned, but we'll listen in and let ya know if anything interesting pops up. Update: Some interesting Xbox 360 statistics. 1.5 million consoles were sold this last quarter. Xbox Live has 25 million members, and for the first time since its inception, the revenue from the Marketplace exceeded subscription revenue.
Engadget Podcast 199 - 06.04.2010
Conferences. Trade shows. Exotic locales. Special guests. Tablets. Fish legs. Tablets. Fish balls. Tablets. You know the drill.Hosts: Joshua Topolsky, Nilay Patel, Paul MillerGuests: Joanna Stern, Darren MurphProducer: Trent WolbeMusic: Boys Don't CryHear the podcast00:02:38 - Engadget dines at Taipei's Windows 7-themed restaurant (video)00:06:05 - Windows 7 tablet roundup from Computex, nay Tabletex00:07:03 - Microsoft's Guggenheimer dismisses Android on tablets as 'an experiment'00:09:05 - Microsoft reveals Windows Embedded Compact 7 at Computex, hosts heaps of tablets00:10:40 - Microsoft Windows Embedded Compact 7 explained, trial download now available00:12:10 - Microsoft: Windows Phone 7 not planned to hit tablets, Courier was always a concept00:13:00 - NVIDIA CEO says Android is an OS to 'unite behind,' will be better tailored to tablets this Fall00:13:40 - Microsoft Windows Embedded Compact 7 tablet prototype preview00:14:20 - Samsung Galaxy Tab revealed00:17:10 - MeeGo Moorestown-powered tablet preview00:18:40 - Pixel Qi introduces tablet-ready screens, we go hands-on (video)00:23:40 - Exclusive: LG UX10 tablet preview at Computex00:39:46 - Intel demos Android 2.1 on Moorestown smartphone (video)00:41:45 - Qualcomm ships first dual-core Snapdragon chipsets clocking 1.2GHz00:45:47 - Labor practice protest goes down at Computex, Steve Jobs called an 'OEM profit bloodsucker'00:54:40 - Steve Jobs live from D801:02:57 - Steve Jobs' D8 interview: the video highlights (updated)01:03:38 - Steve Jobs on Foxconn: 'We're all over this'01:05:52 - Steve Jobs on lost iPhone 4G prototype: it's an 'amazing' story01:14:45 - Steve Jobs on TV: 'no one wants to buy a box'01:24:55 - Steve Ballmer and Ray Ozzie live from D801:25:06 - Jobs: The PC is a truck. Ballmer: There's a reason they're called 'Mac' trucks.01:27:00 - Steve Ballmer at D8: the video highlights (updated)01:38:38 - Kno dual-screen tablet appears at D8, we go hands-onSubscribe to the podcast[iTunes] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes (enhanced AAC).[RSS MP3] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in MP3) to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically.[RSS AAC] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in enhanced AAC) to your RSS aggregator.[Zune] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in the Zune MarketplaceDownload the podcastLISTEN (MP3)LISTEN (AAC)LISTEN (OGG)Contact the podcast1-888-ENGADGET or podcast (at) engadget (dot) com.Twitter: @joshuatopolsky @futurepaul @reckless @engadget
