For a while now I’ve been talking about the dangers of assuming that one search marketing approach will work across a number of platforms, with mixed results. Unfortunately, some people just don’t want to believe that the approach required to make a success of a PPC campaign on Google is that much different to the approach required to do well on Yahoo, Bing, etc. Some people unfortunately will not be swayed from the notion that search is search and what’s good for the good is good for the gander. (more…)

A webmaster working on Microsoft Bing has admitted to SE Roundtable that an MSN bot has been clicking on Bing ads. The Microsoft webmaster was very keen to point out that the system was set up so that there was no chance of these clicks being charged to a client though this has done little to calm the annoyance amongst PPC account managers. (more…)

Most industry analysts expect Microsoft to go public with Windows 7 prices at some point next week. This begs the question, how much does the software giant think it can get away with charging for the new system? (more…)

Yesterday Microsoft made its latest wave of redundancies. The software giant is declining to specify how many were laid off exactly though it has revealed that half of the cuts were from inside the US with the other half coming from Microsoft offices and interests around the globe. The company also revealed that a further 1,200 staff will be lost within the US thanks to a Worker Adjustment and Retirement Notice (WARN). (more…)

If I was working for the Microsoft PR department right now, I’d probably be holding my head in my hands and wondering what I have to do to repair the damage done by Windows Vista. This despair would have been brought on by recent reports that, despite the fact that Windows Beta testers have been hugely positive about Windows 7 and that many of them are now running the beta version as their main browser, most companies still do not plan to upgrade immediately to Windows 7 when it becomes available.
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Now there’s a name I bet you haven’t heard in a while! It may surprise you to know this but up until this year Encarta was still being manufactured and sold by Microsoft. Even in the age of Wikipedia it seems that the world’s premier software manufacturer thought there was a place for the CD Rom Encyclopaedia.
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Microsoft will release the final version of Internet Explorer 8 later today, almost two months after the release of the RC1. The browser is said to be laden with new security features after the previous version, Internet Explorer 7 was criticised for various security failings and breaches.
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Early testers of Windows 7 are finding that as well as myriad new and improved features, there will also be an option to opt out of some of Windows more tiresome elements. The biggest news is the option not to have Internet Explorer installed on the system however, the options to opt out are far from limited to just that. Windows 7 will boast a Windows Features menu which will give you a list of Windows programmes to either have available or not, as well as IE the list includes Windows stalwarts like Media Player, Windows Search and Games features like minesweeper.
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Microsoft CEO, Steve Ballmer was on the receiving end of a corporate tongue-lashing from attendees of Microsoft’s Public Sector CIO summit in Washington. Frank and forthright opinions were offered regarding Microsoft’s progress regarding turning Windows Mobile into the sort of product that can rival the other mobile operating systems on the market.
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Microsoft is internally testing their new online search system named kumo, say Microsoft spokespersons. It is hoped that kumo will finally provide Microsoft with a viable way in which to compete with Google, or more realistically, Yahoo in the coming months. People beyond the company are not yet able to test the system.

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Windows 7 will offer easily distracted workers three brand new versions of their time-wasting games to enjoy while avoiding work, it has been revealed today. Okay, I know it’s not exactly the most important newsflash you’ll ever read but don’t try to pretend like you’re not interested…
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According to various reports, software giant, Microsoft, is asking recently laid off employees to return a portion of their severance package. Apparently the company overpaid the latest tranche of workers to be shown the door at Microsoft.
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I seem to write every day about how competitive the SmartPhone market is, and every time I type it, it gets no less true. Microsoft’s attempt to not only break into the market but to become a major player is audacious in the extreme. However, if any company is positioned to make it work it’s them.
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In a striking testament to exactly how many innovations Microsoft has made in its 34 year history, the company has this month received its 10,000th patent from the US Patent and Trademark office. The patent concerns the company’s surface computing technology, partly masterminded by long-time employee, Curtis Wong, the same researcher behind the company’s 5,000th patent.

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