The Buzz: Microsoft After BillG
On Thursday, Microsoft chairman and Chief Software Architect Bill Gates made the surprise announcement that he was passing on the reins to Ray Ozzie in 2008. While Gates will stay on board as chairman, his new focus would be on philanthropic work.
We have gathered below snippets of Gates' and Ballmer's missives to their employees, as well as the reactions from many of the Web's opinion makers. Some say the writing was on the wall and that a change in the company was sorely needed. What do you think?
New Vulnerability Hits Microsoft Excel
Just two days after releasing 12 patches to correct 21 security issues in its products, including a critical flaw in Word, Microsoft says it is investigating a report of a new vulnerability affecting Excel, the company's spreadsheet software. So far only one Microsoft customer has been hit by the attack.
"Here's what we know: In order for this attack to be carried out, a user must first open a malicious Excel document that is sent as an email attachment or otherwise provided to them by an attacker," explained Mike Reavey from the Microsoft Security Response Center. Microsoft has updated the Windows Live Safety Center to remove the malware that exploits the security flaw, and says it is sharing information with partners so their software can detect attacks as well.
Gates, Ballmer to Employees: All is Well
Following a news conference announcing that Microsoft chairman Bill Gates would be leaving his role as chief software architect in two years to focus on his Foundation, both Gates and Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer sent company-wide e-mails to employees. The memos provide a look into what the future will bring when the software era of Bill Gates comes to an end.
E-mail from Steve Ballmer on June 15, 2006:
Google Builds Government Search Site
Google on Thursday rolled out a special U.S. government search built using the company's customized homepage platform. The site lets users quickly search for IRS forms, locate a DMV Web site and find phone numbers to local government offices. The latest Government-related news is also displayed.
"It's a site on which you can 1) search across a huge index of U.S. Federal, state and local government websites via a single search box, and 2) stay up to date through personalized content feeds from government agencies and press outlets," said Google product manager Kevin Gough. "Off you go."
Telecoms Sued Over VoIP Services
C2 Communications Technologies, a subsidiary of C2 Global Technologies, said Thursday that it had filed suit in Texas federal court against seven telecommunications companies alleging patent infringement. C2's claims surround a patent that covers a "method and apparatus for implementing a computer network and Internet telephone system" according to the complaint.
Law firms Susman Godfrey, LLP and Monts & Ware, LLP, are representing the company in the suit. Named as defendants are AT&T, Verizon, Qwest, Bellsouth, Sprint Nextel, Global Crossing Limited, and Level 3 Communications. C2 is a patent licensing company, according to its profile. As of press time, none of the seven named defendants had commented on the suit.
Google Buys HQ for $319 Million
Google says that it plans to buy the "Googleplex," its 978,000 square feet campus located in Mountain View, Calif. Valued at $319 million, the land grab includes the search giant's existing headquarters, which it had previously rented, and nearby buildings once belonging to the now bankrupt Silicon Graphics. Google's purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Wednesday.
The company said the expansion was necessary in order to accommodate its growing work force. Google's staff has doubled in size in the last year, and the company says it continues to take on new projects that will require it to expand further. Google has put $10 million into escrow for the property and expects the transaction to close June 30, pending approval of the SGI deal by the bankruptcy court.
MySpace Puts Search on Auction Block
News Corp. said Tuesday that it plans to call for bids from search giants Microsoft, Yahoo and Google to provide Internet search functionality and search-based advertising on the popular social networking site. The move continues an effort by the media conglomerate to look for ways to recoup some of the $580 million investment it made in the service when it bought MySpace last year.
For News Corp., the potential customer base of the site and its moneymaking potential are huge, as MySpace has some 85 million members worldwide. But compared with other sites, MySpace is far behind in ad sales. With a better partner, the company believes it would be able to improve its revenues from MySpace over time.
First Blu-ray Movies Due June 20
Sony Pictures said Tuesday that the first Blu-ray movies would be released on June 20, coinciding with the release of the first Blu-ray DVD player from Samsung, and a Sony VAIO Blu-ray PC. Seven titles are slated to launch that day, including "50 First Dates," "The Fifth Element," "Hitch" and the "House of Flying Daggers." The studio plans to release additional titles in the coming weeks.
Sony is locked in a fierce battle for supremacy in the race to next-generation DVD. Toshiba has already beaten Blu-ray to the punch with the release of its first HD DVD player and movies back in April, but Blu-ray supporters point to the potential breadth of content to be available on the platform. No sales figures have been released for HD DVD players, but only 10,000 players were shipped at launch, according to Toshiba.
Microsoft Updates Office for Mac
Microsoft on Tuesday released version 11.2.4 of Office 2004 for Mac, which corrects a vulnerability that could allow a hacker to overwrite a system's memory with malicious code. The cumulative update weighs in at over 57MB and is available for download from Microsoft.
11.2.4 additionally fixes problems in PowerPoint 2004 and Entourage 2004. The release is available for Mac OS X 10.2.8 or higher, and comes along with a critical fix for Microsoft Office on Windows. That patch corrects a Word vulnerability in which a malformed document could enable an attacker to take control of a system.
Sirius to Launch New Satellite
Sirius said Thursday it will spend $260 million to launch a new satellite to improve reception and enhance coverage. Built by Loral Space & Communications, the satellite is expected to be completed by 2008. Once launched, it would be Sirius' fourth in orbit. The cost of the move would not impact the satellite radio provider's overall financial outlook, which included the anticipated cost.
The company reiterated that it expected to have positive cash flow as early as the fourth quarter of this year, and would be cash flow positive for the full-year 2007. For the quarter ending March 30, Sirius posted a $458.5 million loss, compared with $193.6 million a year ago.
AOL, Walgreens Sign Pictures Deal
AOL said Wednesday that it had signed a deal with Walgreens to allow users of its Pictures service to order prints to pickup at their local store or any of Walgreens' 1,500 locations nationwide. Initially, users would be able to select from 4x6, 5x7 and 8x10 prints, with plans to expand to other sizes in the future. Each photo would cost as little as 19 cents per print, with no pickup charge added.
In addition to the new printing options, AOL also announced integration with AIM Pages, allowing users to easily add photos to their personal site. The company is currently testing a feature that would allow users to upload images directly from supported mobile phones. A feature that would allow for direct upload from digital cameras is also in the works, AOL said.
McAfee Buys Risk Management Firm
McAfee on Tuesday said it had acquired Preventsys, a company that specializes in security risk management and compliance. The technology will be integrated into McAfee's solutions for large businesses in order to protect customer information and communicate security compliance to executives.
"With Preventsys technology, we can help our customers satisfy regulatory requirements for automated compliance reporting, while leveraging existing McAfee technologies such as McAfee ePolicy Orchestrator and Foundstone," said Ken Gonzalez, McAfee's vice president of corporate development. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Toshiba to Deliver 200GB Laptop Drive
Toshiba has announced a new 2.5-inch hard drive for notebook computers that boasts 200GB of storage space on only two disk platters thanks to new perpendicular recording technology. The company expects to begin mass producing the Serial ATA drive, which spins at 4,200 RPM, in August.
Perpendicular recording stands data bits on their end, enabling more storage density on each hard drive platter. The technology has already been employed by a number of different manufacturers, including Seagate and Hitachi. Toshiba says the drives will help the industry's push for thinner and lighter laptop computers.
Pioneer Delays Blu-ray Player
Confirming recent rumors, Pioneer disclosed Tuesday that it was delaying its BDP-HD1 Blu-ray disc player due to production issues. Originally scheduled for launch in June, the player is now not expected until sometime in the autumn. With the latest delay, it appears that only one set-top Blu-ray player made by Samsung will be available by the summer.
Pioneer additionally announced that it would end production of regular DVD players and only support the Blu-ray format. The move may be a dangerous gamble at this point, as neither Blu-ray nor HD DVD seems to be gaining much traction among consumers due to high costs and a fragmented market.
Apple's U2 iPod Returns
After nearly a half-year absence, Apple on Tuesday relaunched the U2 iPod, this time based on the popular fifth generation 30GB iPod model. Like before, the device sports a black finish with a red click wheel and band member's signatures engraved on the back. As a bonus, new owners would be able to download 30 minutes of exclusive U2 video from iTunes upon purchase. The device retails for $329 USD.
"We're thrilled to continue working with one of the greatest bands in the world to bring U2 fans a special edition of the world's best digital music player," said Greg Joswiak, Apple's vice president of worldwide iPod Product Marketing. The U2 iPod is available immediately from the Apple Store and the company's retail partners.
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