In case you missed the completely baffling Gates / Seinfeld ad, here's the skinny: Microsoft is getting serious about polishing the tarnished Vista brand (its words, not ours). According to new reports, that aforementioned spot is just the beginning of Redmond's costly push to "change consumers' perception of Windows," and soon you'll be seeing Microsoft Gurus in your favorite B&M locations. These so-called experts will be there to "explain the benefits of Windows," but we're not sure if they'll only be around to answer inquiries or if they'll be actively approaching you in an uncomfortable attempt to talk about Aero and ReadyBoost. We're hearing that some 155 representatives will be deployed before the year's end at stores like Best Buy and Circuit City, so at least you now know where not to shop if you're terrified of confrontation.

[Via Electronista, image courtesy of StarBulletin]

So we waffled on whether to go with a sad Moto or happy Moto face, but as we've stated in the past, we suppose we'll keep on keepin' on with the former until something marvelous happens. Nearly four months to the day after Motorola split in two, along comes word that the separated home and networks division will now be segmented into three distinct units: broadband home solutions, broadband access solutions and cellular networks. According to a statement put out by the firm, the "organizational change will ensure that home and networks mobility remains agile, focused and ideally aligned to realize its growth potential," which is about as canned a statement as you could ever hope for. We've heard that three's company, but who knows how it'll play out here.

Someday in the distant future, your grandkids will be hugging their Microsoft Robot Friend, browsing the Weboverse on Internet Explorer 29, and going to a rock concert held by Steve Ballmer's head, and they'll have never known the evil, nasty Microsoft we grew up with. Starting today, Microsoft has dropped a bit of a bombshell on the computing community by jumping on the "open" bandwagon and altering the way they do business with third-party developers. According to a wordy press release issued by the company, the Redmond giant will begin embracing an open attitude by publishing documentation for all of its "high-volume product" APIs free of charge, will detail patents it holds and applications that cover its protocols (to avoid nasty, Linux-like mixups, we assume), and will provide a "covenant not to sue open source developers for development or non-commercial distribution of implementations of these protocols." Sound like big news? They've got a lot more to say on the matter -- hit the read link and learn all about cuddly new Microsoft.

In a statement so laden with PR speak that it'd bring even the most heartless PR flack to the brink of wretching, Earthlink's CEO has announced that the company is to withdraw investment in Municipal WiFi schemes unless the "model" of these networks becomes more closely aligned with Earthlink's undefined "strategy." Translation? Earthlink ain't making a big enough return on its investments in MuniFi projects, and the shareholders are getting antsy. This could leave various cities high and dry without WiFi, although Earthlink apparently won't be able to simply walk away from the contracts that they've already signed. This could be a major setback for blanket WiFi coverage in cities across the US, although we doubt it'll be long before someone else picks up the baton (either that, or the cities will probably drop it.)

[Via Slashdot]

Looks like Sprint's feverish approach to WiMAX just swallowed a chill pill, as the firm is reportedly "exploring new options for financing its ambitious plan." In a presumed effort to "soothe investor concerns about the cost of the WiMAX plan," the company is actually investigating a partnership or joint venture with Clearwire in order to simultaneously remove a potential competitor and gain access to the critical Clearwire markets in the southeastern US. Of course, Clearwire isn't one to shy away from high stakes partnerships, and the FCC nod for a WiMAX-class laptop card that it garnered just last month could fit in quite well here. Still, Clearwire is refusing to comment just yet on whether this possibility is even feasible, but the mere mention of a spinoff likely means that Sprint isn't feeling all too peachy about future WiMAX profitability. [Warning: Read link requires subscription]

[Via InformationWeek]

Dell has traditionally always sold its products direct to consumer, to the extent that its sales figures often aren't factored into retail-based PC marketshare figures. That could all be about to change (for reals this time) as the company plans to move away from its strict direct-to-customer sales approach with a move towards selling PCs through third parties including retail stores, "solution providers," and "channel partners." The change was apparently first hinted at in a memo from Michael Dell, who says "the direct model was a revolution. It's not a religion." Not that we've ever imagined Dell's sales strategy as the consumer electronics equivalent of the Bible (nor the little red book for that matter), but it'll still be pretty hard to envisage going into a mall and seeing Dells next to other brand name PCs: aside from the occasional sighting of a Dell kiosk, it's just not what we're used to. Fortunately the company's tentative steps in the direction of more aesthetically pleasing designs means that there hasn't been a better time for Dell to dive headfirst into retail. So, do you think Dell has got what it takes to go retail? 'Cause dude, it's a warzone out there.

Ah c'mon, we all knew this day would come, but the sooner the better, right? While an Xbox 360 price cut has likely been in the works for some time now, it's no surprise that it hasn't happened quite yet. With Sony's latest gig coming in well over what Microsoft is asking, there's been no reason (yet) for Microsoft to take an even bigger loss (at launch, at least) on each console sale. Nevertheless, it seems the time is drawing nigh, as Microsoft's own Robbie Bach has stated that bringing down the costs associated with the console is "the first order of business." He also boasts about the 360's "larger installed base," and claims that its "fundamentally easier to manage on costs," insinuating that those price reductions would soon be passed onto the consumer as the Xbox 360 hits its second holiday season in full stride. This latest round of price yapping comes on the heels of European stores slashing bundle prices (history repeats itself?), offering the Premium console and Gears of War for an "unprecedented" £269.99 ($520). Although we aren't certain as to when Gates and company will indeed chop prices on its next-generation machine, we'd suggest holding off just a bit longer if you're already leaning this direction.

[Via MCV]