Of interest: In addition to the story of the incomparable JC Cannon (formerly a Privacy Strategist and now of the SQL team), I found this story a new Microsoft site http://www.youatmicrosoft.com.
Soni is in the Windows Server group and works to make the voice of our customers and partners are heard by the product team.
More information on the website and other programmes is available at here.
Gizmodo this past week said of Microsoft’s Mediaroom (our TV over IPTV solution) service via AT&T U-Verse and BT Vision in the UK…
“… features… quick channel changing, multiple channel records simultaneously without a hardware tuner limit, multi-room viewing, multiple picture-in-picture—are pretty fantastic… but we had a visit with Microsoft earlier this week and learned that what’s coming soon is even better.
(Link: Microsoft IPTV: Microsoft Mediaroom IPTV Is Way Better Than Cable or Satellite)
More details and information available at the Microsoft MediaRoom site.
In case you missed the news today, Steve Ballmer announced (MSN link below) that Microsoft withdrew its offer for Yahoo! today.
Microsoft Corp withdrew its offer for Yahoo Inc on Saturday after negotiations fell through because Yahoo wanted more than the $33 a share that Microsoft was willing to offer.
In a letter to Yahoo Chief Executive Jerry Yang, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said the company raised its offer by about $5 billion to $33 a share, but Yahoo wanted $37 a share.
“Despite our best efforts, including raising our bid by roughly $5 billion, Yahoo! has not moved toward accepting our offer,” Ballmer said in a statement.
“After careful consideration, we believe the economics demanded by Yahoo! do not make sense for us, and it is in the best interests of Microsoft stockholders, employees and other stakeholders to withdraw our proposal,” said Ballmer.
Microsoft says it withdraws offer for Yahoo: Reuters Business News – MSN Money
(update) And Steve’s letter is now available on Microsoft PressPass.
As covered by Seattle Times technology reporter Benjamin J. Romano in his coverage of Law Enforcement Technology 2008 conference Monday at Microsoft, Brad Smith outlined the COFEE, a small USB key fob that can be used by crime investigators. (Holy CSI, Batman.)
“The COFEE, which stands for Computer Online Forensic Evidence Extractor, is a USB “thumb drive” that was quietly distributed to a handful of law-enforcement agencies last June. Microsoft General Counsel Brad Smith described its use to the 350 law-enforcement experts attending a company conference Monday.
“The device contains 150 commands that can dramatically cut the time it takes to gather digital evidence, which is becoming more important in real-world crime, as well as cybercrime. It can decrypt passwords and analyze a computer’s Internet activity, as well as data stored in the computer.”
A look at the device is available on King 5’s news video on demand site, link above.
Also of interest on PressPass, a brief interview with Tim Cranton, Associate General Counsel for Microsoft. He “discusses the role of the Internet Safety Enforcement Team as part of Microsoft’s larger security strategy and calls on global public-private partnerships to help prevent online crime at the Law Enforcement Technology 2008 conference.”
Also see this transcript of Brad Smith’s speech at the Conference.
I read the news today, oh boy…
In case you missed it, Microsoft announced that the availability of Windows XP Home will be extended worldwide in support of “an emerging, new class of mobile personal computers commonly known as ultra-low-cost PCs, or ULCPCs.”
This will Windows XP Home for ULCPCs will be available until the later of June 30, 2010, or one year after general availability of the next version of Windows.
Tags: Microsoft, Windows XP, ULCPC, Windows.