Report: Facebook and Microsoft eyeing Tumblr as Yahoo sets Monday press event

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Where is Tumblr going to end up? Reports have been circulating that the New York-based microblogging and social networking powerhouse is in the crosshairs of Yahoo, with a potential price tag hanging on Tumblr over $1 billion. Adding some mystique to the reports, Yahoo just announced that it plans to host a product related news… Read More…

Microsoft’s Windows Phone inches past BlackBerry for #3 in IDC’s global rankings

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Microsoft’s Windows Phone is making modest but steady progress in the smartphone market, according to the latest numbers from the IDC research firm. Shipments of Windows Phone reached 7 million units in the first quarter, the firm says. That gave Microsoft 3.2 percent market share and put Windows Phone ahead of BlackBerry, which came in… Read More…

The next Xbox: Why this launch is so critical for Microsoft

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Next Tuesday, May 21, is a Very Big Day for Microsoft. With the rest of the technology world watching, the company will take the stage at 10 a.m. Pacific time in Redmond to reveal the new generation of Xbox, whatever form (or name) it may take. This is the world into which this new Xbox… Read More…

Amazon.com and Google employees bullish on future, but 25% of Microsofties say things will get worse

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Microsoft just hit a five-year stock high, and during the last quarterly financial report posted profits of $6 billion. But still a quarter of employees at the software giant think things are going to get worse, and just 35 percent say the business is going to improve over the next six months, according to a… Read More…

Xbox 360 marks 28 straight months atop U.S. market; industry sales sink 25%

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Just days before we get our first look at the next-generation Xbox, Microsoft’s Xbox 360 continues to dominate the U.S. video game industry. The latest numbers from NPD market research firm are out and the Xbox 360 was the top-selling console in April, marking the 28th straight month atop the U.S. console market. Microsoft sold… Read More…

Microsoft stock hits 5-year high as Gates reclaims world’s richest title

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It’s a good day to be Bill Gates. According to Bloomberg’s Billionaire Index, Gates’ reclaimed the title of world’s richest man for the first time since 2007, as his fortune reached $72.7 billion this afternoon and pushed him $600 million ahead of second-place Carlos Slim. And on top of that, Microsoft’s stock hit a five-year high… Read More…

Patent gurus weigh in: Is the market for deals cooling off?

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Patents are one of the central topics at the spring meeting of the Licensing Executives Society of the U.S.A. and Canada, taking place in downtown Seattle this week. Many of the executives are heavily involved in patent licensing, acquisitions and sales. When you get them together, they talk about the patent market in much the… Read More…

What Google’s Larry Page really said about Microsoft

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There were so many zingers and (and cease-and-desist orders) flying around between Microsoft and Google yesterday that it might have been hard to keep track. And some errant quotes in the live blogs from Google I/O conference didn’t help. So what did Google CEO Larry Page actually say about Microsoft during the question-and-answer session at… Read More…

Sonics fate may be decided today in Dallas, but where’s Steve Ballmer?

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We’re just minutes away from finding out if NBA will return to Seattle this fall, as NBA owners are voting to possibly determine the fate of the Sacramento Kings. But some of the chatter this morning centered on the whereabouts of Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, who is part of the Seattle investment team trying to… Read More…

Report: Microsoft to replace Xbox Points with gift cards, currency

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The move away from Microsoft Points has been rumored for some time now, but now it looks like Microsoft may be officially ditching its virtual currency system and instead allow Xbox users to make purchases with gift and credit cards. That’s what sources are telling The Verge this morning. As it is now, people can purchase games and… Read More…