Microsoft News

Microsoft has released a series of customisable Bing apps on Windows 8 Phone which can be downloaded free of charge through the Windows Phone Store. The new apps include Bing News, Bing Weather, Bing Sports and Bing Finance which provide users with quick access to the latest news, weather conditions and forecasts, sports news, and stock information respectively.

Following its Healthy Computing Survey, which revealed that 85% users feel uncomfortable with their computers, Microsoft on Tuesday launched Sculpt Ergonomic Keyboard and Sculpt Ergonomic Mouse, which help position the wrists and forearms in a natural, relaxed way. The software giant is retailing the keyboard at $81 and mouse at $59.95, with an offer-price of $130 for the combo.

Microsoft has announced that Steve Ballmer will retire as CEO within the next 12 months. The company said the board of directors has initiated the process to find a successor to Ballmer. Ballmer joined Microsoft back in 1980 and succeeded Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates as CEO in 2000. On Friday, Microsoft shares rose nearly 9% after Ballmer announced his retirement.

Microsoft Corp on Tuesday announced that it would buy Nokia's mobile phone business and license Nokia's patents for $7.2-billion, and CEO of the Finnish firm, Stephen Elop, would join Microsoft. This was marked by an around 40% rise in Nokia’s shares. Nokia, once the world's dominant handset maker, will now concentrate on its networking unit, navigation business and technology patents.

Outgoing Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said that his biggest regret was having dropped the ball when it came to the smartphone market by not being able to "redeploy talent to the new device" in the early 2000s. Microsoft has "almost no share" in mobile devices, admitted Ballmer with the market currently being dominated by iOS and Android-based devices.

After deal with Microsoft, Finnish phone giant Nokia can neither license the 'Nokia' brand for use in connection with mobile device sales nor use the brand on its own mobile devices till December-31, 2015. Nokia, which will get it's shareholder's nod for the $7.2-billion deal on November-19, will have to pay about $51-million as damages to Microsoft on their disapproval.

Microsoft has unveiled Surface Pro2 at $899 and Surface2 at $499 at an event in New York, which will be available in US and other-markets from 22-October. Targeted at professionals who want the full-power of a laptop in a tablet-style device, Pro2 offers a 75% improvement in battery-life. The screen on both new Surface models remains at 10.6 inches.

According to a Reuters poll, more US shoppers are picking PS4 over Xbox One. Reuters surveyed 1,297 people online, and out of those, 26% said they are likely to buy the PS4 when it becomes available, 15% said the same about the Xbox One. Microsoft's console, which comes with Kinect motion sensor, costs $499, $100 more than PS4.

Windows Phone might be having a tough time but things are looking up in Europe. According to Kantar WorldPanel ComTech' data, Windows OS has posted its highest ever sales share of 9.2% in the top 5 European markets for the quarter ending in August. In US, Windows share rose to 3.0% from 2.6%.

Three of the top 20 investors in Microsoft want the board to ask Bill Gates to step-down as chairman of the company he co-founded 38-years ago, as they think he is more effective as chief executive. The board has given no indication that its heeding their wish. Gates is its largest shareholder owning about 4.5% of the $277-billion company.

India's Satya Nadella, Microsoft's cloud-and-enterprise chief and, Tony Bates, former Skype CEO, are among the internal candidates shortlisted to replace the outgoing Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, sources said. Microsoft, which started with about 40-names, has also shortlisted 5 external candidates including Ford Motor's Alan Mulally and former Nokia CEO Stephen Elop. In August Ballmer said he would retire within 12-months.

According to Forbes, Apple with a brand value of $104.3 billion is the world's most valuable brand followed by Microsoft($56.7 billion), Coca-Cola($54.9 billion), IBM($50.7 billion) and Google($47.3 billion). US-based brands dominated with over fifty spots in the list of 100, far ahead of Germany(9 brands), France(8) and Japan(7). Unfortunately, no Indian company featured in the list.

According to Bloomberg, India's Satya Nadella and Ford CEO Alan Mulally have reportedly emerged as frontrunners for the post of Microsoft's CEO. However, the internal candidate like Bates and Elop remain in the mix, they're currently considered less likely to be offered the job. The current CEO Ballmer had announced in August that he would retire within 12 months.

Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen has sold a private island in northwestern Washington state to undisclosed buyers for $8 million, his real estate agent said. The 292-acre (118 hectare) Allan Island had been on the market for nine years and sold on Friday for well below its original asking price of $20 million. Allen had bought the island in 1992.