Microsoft today released IE8 Beta 2 for public download. The newest iteration of the browser was created around three themes: everyday browsing (the things that real people do all the time), safety (the term most people use for what we’ve called ‘trustworthy’ in previous posts), and the platform (the focus of Beta 1, how developers around the world will build the next billion web pages and the next waves of great services).
The new browser promises an improved tab and navigation experience. When navigating to a web site in IE8, the smart address bar searches across Favorites, History, and RSS feeds More»

Labels: browsers, internet explorer, Microsoft, msft, Privacy, usability, user experience, web, web browsers

The next version of the Microsoft Internet Explorer  browser will include four new features to protect your privacy. The company has confirmed the following privacy enhancements:

InPrivate™ Browsing lets you control whether or not IE saves your browsing history, cookies, and other data
Delete Browsing History helps you control your browsing history after you’ve visited websites.
InPrivate™ Blocking informs you about content that is in a position to observe your browsing history, and allows you to block it
InPrivate Subscriptions allow you to augment the capability of InPrivate Blocking by subscribing to lists of websites to block or allow.

To browse in private, More»

Labels: browsers, internet explorer, Microsoft, msft, web, web browsers

Satya Nadella, Microsoft’s Senior Vice President of the Search, Portal & Advertising Platform Group was the opening keynote at Search Engine Strategies Conference this week. He spoke on Microsoft approaches search and how the company intends to shape trends in search development and how they intend to exploit them. Nadella assured the audience that Microsoft is pursuing these things with a long-term perspective and the intent of staying in the fight.
Nadella outlined three key factors causing the industry’s evolution: 1) user intent 2) content and context and 3) advertising efficiency.
He said More»

Labels: google, Microsoft, Online Advertising, Search

In a possible bid to improve the company’s cool factor and appeal to a younger audience, Microsoft is reportedly in talks with comedian, Jerry Seinfeld, to become the company’s key pitchman in a $300 million ad campaign. Jerry’s pay will be no laughing matter at a reported $10 million for appearing in ads alongside Microsoft Chairman, Bill Gates.
The ads are expected to be for the latest Microsoft operating system, Vista, which has had strong sales but whose “The Wow starts now” campaign didn’t quite debut to rave reviews. Apple, on the other hand, has had a very successful “I’m a More»

Labels: Apple, Microsoft

Microsoft is planning a “privacy mode” feature on the next release of Internet Explorer (IE) web browser reports the BBC.
By clicking a button, users will be able to limit how much information is recorded about where they go online and what they do. More users are using the web today to manage sensitive information related to health care, insurance, banking, credit score etc and the privacy mode would prevent their data being shared with or retrieved by other users.
The applications deal with methods of erasing data that browsing programs log, turning off features More»

Labels: browsers, Microsoft, online privacy

Brad Smith, Microsoft’s top legal counsel told the US Senate that on June 8, he met Yahoo CEO Jerry Yang at the San Jose, Calif. airport and Yang told Microsoft executives that a partnership with Google would isolate Microsoft. Smith, Microsoft’s top legal counsel said Yang is conspiring with Google to freeze Microsoft out of the web search business and turn the market into a duopoly and that it would hurt competition.
Yahoo struck the partnership with Google to ward off an unsolicited bid by Microsoft to buy Yahoo. Search marketers and advertisers More»

Labels: google, Microsoft, Online Advertising, Search, Yahoo

Reuters is reporting that AOL’s parent TimeWarner is seeking to sell the property to either Yahoo or Microsoft. The discussions between the companies “have taken on new urgency ahead of Yahoo’s Aug 1 shareholders meeting.”
Discussions with Time Warner have accelerated as both Yahoo and Microsoft view AOL as beneficial to leverage their positions in online advertising. Over the past two years AOL focused on turning itself into a one-stop online advertising outfit.
Microsoft’s interest in acquiring AOL would serve to bulk up its display advertising business as well as gain more traffic More»

Labels: AOL, Microsoft, Online Advertising, Search, Yahoo

A US Senate subcommittee heard testimony today about the competitive implications of Yahoo’s recent deal with Google, which will see the company mix ads supplied by Google with its own on search result pages. They also heard from Microsoft’s top lawyer, Brad Smith. Their testimony presented radically different pictures of what constitutes competition in the search market, how this deal will affect that competition, and the ongoing negotiations between Microsoft and Yahoo. More >>
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Labels: google, Microsoft, Online Advertising, Search, Yahoo

Microsoft’s today unveiled pricing for cloud computing services starting from low as $3 per user per month. For the $3 a user will get access to Microsoft-hosted Exchange and SharePoint. Users who want the complete Microsoft-hosted Business Productivity Online suite — Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, Office Communications Online (for instant-messaging and presence) and Office Live Meeting — will be able to subscribe for $15 per user per month. The service is targeted at big companies and growing businesses. Microsoft is moving aggressively to meet the requirements today’s workforce before Google starts chipping More»

Labels: google, Microsoft, online services, saas, Web Apps

Google crazed Microsoft in its quest to beat the search giant has become blind to reality. First, there was the outrageous $6 billion the company paid for aQuantive a month after Google announced the acquisition of DoubleClick for $3.1 billion. DoubleClick was the market leader in digital display advertising and aQuantive was a distant second player. Hence the company should have commanded a much lower price. Then there was Facebook, then Tellme, now Powerset which is worthless junk and on it goes.
But many industry insiders are shaking their head in disbelief over More»

Labels: google, Microsoft, Search