Monitors

Microsoft to Launch Amazon EC2 Rival. Again

Microsoft is launching a new infrastructure cloud, whatever that is. Photo: theaucitron/Flickr

The rumor du jour is that Microsoft is just two weeks away from launching a competitor to Amazon’s massively popular EC2 service. This seems like big news, until you consider that Microsoft already offers a competitor to Amazon EC2.

According to Derrick Harris of GigaOm, Microsoft is building an “infrastructure-as-a-service” cloud that provides access to raw virtual servers, and it plans to launch this new service on June 7 at an event in San Francisco. The story provides few details, but it does say that the new service will offer virtual servers running Linux as well as Windows.

But Azure already offers raw virtual servers, much like Amazon does on its Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2). And Azure has offered these virtual servers for nearly a year and a half. It’s just that right now they only run Windows.

The news, then, appears to be that Microsoft’s Azure cloud will finally offer Linux — though Microsoft may paint this as an entirely new service.

In any event, the move is telling — especially when you consider the introduction of Linux. In recent years, in an effort to attract the new breed of developer who grew up on Linux and other open source tools, Microsoft has slowly warmed to such tools, shedding its well-earned reputation as the enemy of open source, and Azure is at the forefront of this transformation.

That new breed of developer is flocking to Amazon. And Microsoft wants them on Azure, a service that Microsoft has apparently pumped enormous amounts of money into over the past several years.

The news out of GigaOm is confusing, though, because Microsoft has always billed Azure as a “platform cloud.” Unlike an “infrastructure cloud” such as Amazon EC2, a platform cloud lets developers build and host applications without worrying about virtual servers and other raw computing resources. It juggles your infrastructure needs behind the scenes — at least in theory. But long ago, Microsoft started offering raw resources as well, turning Azure into something that operated as both platform cloud and infrastructure cloud.

This distinction is subtle. And the terminology is annoying. But that’s the way it is. Microsoft been dolling up its platform cloud in infrastructure clothing and now the world is starting to catch on.

“The original point of Azure was that you were not supposed as a developer to log in to each individual machine and fiddle around with it. The platform stuff that had build on top was supposed to take care of all that — all the management of the application. But since Azure launched, Microsoft has moved ‘down the stack’ also, so that you have access to the virtual machines. You can configure these machines as you want,” says Michael Friis, who runs a cloud startup called AppHarbor that — in a way — straddles the line between Azure and Amazon EC2.

“In that respect, they moved from doing their own platform, down to what Amazon is doing.”

Microsoft has long told us that it added raw virtual server because customers were asking for them. But at the same time, the company always downplayed this part of Azure, preferring to paint it as a platform cloud — i.e. something different from Amazon.

The trouble is that selling a platform cloud is an uphill battle. Developers have flocked to Amazon — EC2 now runs as much as one percent of the entire internet — and this has happened in part because they could do just about whatever they wanted with those virtual servers. A platform cloud is easier to use — at least in theory — but it’s also more restrictive, and this can scare off some developers. Google has seen the same thing with its platform cloud, Google App Engine.

So Azure is changing. It’s offering virtual servers — and Linux too. Rumors have long indicated that Linux machines were on the way. And this makes sense. Developers also use Amazon because it runs Linux. That’s what they’re familiar with. “When it comes right down to it, many developers don’t want to run this stuff on Windows,” says Friis.

Clearly, Microsoft realizes this. And it’s trying to catch up.

Article source: http://www.wired.com/wiredenterprise/2012/05/azure-and-ec/

ITC Bans Motorola Devices That Infringe on Microsoft Patent

Microsoft was handed a legal victory on Friday after the International Trade Commission (ITC) ordered an import ban on Android-based Motorola devices that infringe on a Microsoft-held patent.

The patent in question covers technology for “generating meeting requests and group scheduling from a mobile device.” Unless Motorola removes the infringing technology from its gadgets or comes to a licensing agreement with Microsoft, it will not be able to import and sell them in the U.S.

“Microsoft sued Motorola in the ITC only after Motorola chose to refuse Microsoft’s efforts to renew a patent license for well over a year,” David Howard, Microsoft’s corporate vice president and deputy general counsel, said in a statement. “We’re pleased the full Commission agreed that Motorola has infringed Microsoft’s intellectual property, and we hope that now Motorola will be willing to join the vast majority of Android device makers selling phones in the U.S. by taking a license to our patents.”

Motorola did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The case dates back to Oct. 2010, when Microsoft filed a complaint with the ITC and sued Motorola in a Washington state district court. At issue were nine patents that deal with, among others, sending and receiving e-mail on smartphones, managing calendars and contacts, and managing a phone’s memory.

The ITC’s decision comes several days after HTC was forced to delay the import of two smartphones into the U.S. thanks to a similar patent battle with Apple. HTC ended up developing a workaround that avoided infringing on Apple’s patent, but inspections at U.S. Customs have delayed shipments into the country.

In a Friday post, patent blogger Florian Mueller suggested that “it won’t take too long” before Motorola reaches a patent-licensing deal with Microsoft.

Recently, Microsoft said that 70 percent of all Android smartphones sold in the U.S. were covered under Microsoft’s patent portfolio.

In April, the European Commission formally opened a patent abuse investigation into Motorola. The investigation was prompted by complaints from Apple and Microsoft, which accused Motorola of suing over “essential” patents rather than trying to work out licensing deals.

For more from Chloe, follow her on Twitter @ChloeAlbanesius.

For the top stories in tech, follow us on Twitter at @PCMag.

Article source: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2404635,00.asp?kc=PCRSS03069TX1K0001121

Microsoft Wins Ruling Forcing Change in Motorola Phones

Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) won a federal trade
ruling that will force Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc. (MMI) to alter
software on some of its Android-based mobile phones to keep
bringing them into the U.S.

A U.S. International Trade Commission judge found that
Motorola Mobility infringed a patent covering a program by
Redmond, Washington-based Microsoft called ActiveSync, which
lets users generate meeting requests among a group. Six other
patents weren’t violated, the judge ruled.

The ruling still must be reviewed by President Barack Obama, who can override the order on public policy grounds.

“We hope that now Motorola will be willing to join the
vast majority of Android device makers selling phones in the
U.S. by taking a license to our patents,” David Howard,
Microsoft’s deputy general counsel, said in an e-mailed
statement.

An exclusion order would affect Droid 2, Droid X, i1, Cliq
XT, Devour, Backflip, Charm and Clip models, according to a
filing with the ITC.

Android Fight

Motorola Mobility said it was disappointed and would
explore options including an appeal. “Motorola Mobility will
not experience any impact in the near term,” Jennifer Erickson,
a company spokeswoman, said in an e-mail.

The ruling probably will push Motorola to reach a
settlement and pay Microsoft a licensing fee instead of having
to modify the phone software, said Charlie Wolf, an analyst with
Needham Co in New York.

“These cases usually end up with the parties settling,”
Wolf said.

The case is part of a broader effort by Microsoft and Apple
Inc. to curtail the growth of mobile devices that run on Google
Inc. (GOOG)’s Android operating system. Google licenses Android for
free to further its mobile-advertising business.

The platform has become the most popular for smartphones,
with more than half of a market for mobile devices that Yankee
Group has projected will reach $360 billion this year.

Licensing Deals

Microsoft contends it should be paid royalties by makers of
mobile devices that run on Android. The software maker has
reached licensing deals with Samsung Electronics Co. and HTC
Corp. (2498)

Motorola Mobility, which is being bought by Google, refused
to pay and instead struck back in a case at the trade agency.

Microsoft’s willingness to license is different from Apple,
which wants makers of Android smartphones to make changes to its
devices, Wolf said.

“I would expect Motorola to get together with Microsoft to
resolve this,” he said.

Xbox, Windows

Microsoft has capitalized on patents it said cover features
of Android, and said it has struck licensing agreements with
makers of more than 70 percent of all Android devices sold in
the U.S. Microsoft’s only litigation with Android-device makers
is with Motorola Mobility, following a settlement reached last
month with Barnes Noble Inc. (BKS)

The software maker filed the ITC complaint in October 2010.
Motorola Mobility responded by sending letters demanding
royalties on Microsoft products, including the Xbox and Windows
operating system. The legal battle has since escalated, with
Microsoft accusing Motorola Mobility of misusing its patents in
a lawsuit pending in Seattle and before regulators in the U.S.
and Europe.

Motorola Mobility has filed its own patent-infringement
claim against Microsoft at the agency, seeking to block sales of
the Xbox. An ITC judge said Microsoft was infringing four
Motorola Mobility patents; Microsoft wants the commission to
review that decision.

Microsoft’s case against Motorola Mobility is In the Matter
of Certain Mobile Devices, Associated Software and Components
Thereof, 337-744, while Motorola Mobility’s case against
Microsoft is In the matter of Gaming and Entertainment Consoles,
337-752, both U.S. International Trade Commission (Washington).

To contact the reporters on this story:
Susan Decker in Washington at
sdecker1@bloomberg.net;
William McQuillen in Washington at
bmcquillen@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story:
Bernard Kohn at
bkohn2@bloomberg.net

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Article source: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-05-18/microsoft-wins-ruling-forcing-change-in-motorola-phones.html

FACEBOOK IPO LIVE: The social network goes public

It’s Facebook‘s big day.

The site, which was born in a dorm room eight years ago and has grown into a worldwide network of almost a billion people, is making the most talked-about stock market debut in years.

Here’s some of what Associated Press reporters are finding. Check back all day for updates. All times EDT.

___

5:22 p.m.

ABOUT THAT $38 FLOOR

For most of the last half-hour of trading, Facebook was at, or pennies above, the offering price of $38 per share. But it never traded at $37.99, or at any other price that would have put it in the red for the first day.

No coincidence, said Jay Ritter, a finance professor at the University of Florida: The banks that underwrote the IPO put in enough “buy” orders at $38 to keep the price from dropping below that level.

Underwriters are allowed under regulatory rules to buy back, for 30 days, a certain amount of the shares they sell on the open market.

Ritter said that his research showed 9 percent of IPOs close at exactly the offering price on the first day, 16 percent of IPOs fall, and 75 percent increase in value.

Facebook made it into the “increase” category, but just barely.

— Pallavi Gogoi, AP Business Writer

___

4:56 p.m.

SEC LOOKING INTO NASDAQ GLITCHES

The Securities and Exchange Commission is looking into glitches in the trading of Facebook stock around the time of scheduled debut Friday on the Nasdaq Stock Market.

The glitches caused traders problems changing and canceling their orders and delayed the start of trading by about a half-hour. Nasdaq said around noon that it was “investigating an issue in delivering trade execution messages” for Facebook stock.

The SEC staff “will review the incident with Nasdaq to determine its cause and steps that will be taken to address it,” agency spokesman John Nester said.

— Marcy Gordon, AP Business Writer

___

4:47 p.m.

NASDAQ ON GLITCHES

Nasdaq posted a message on one of its websites telling investors who had problems buying or selling Facebook stock between 11:11 and 11:30 a.m. to call Nasdaq before 5 p.m. with their order information.

Nasdaq went on to say:

“Our intention is to reach resolution of those trades today through an offline matching process If at the end of that process, a firm continues to have questions or concerns, the firm needs to submit a formal accommodation request to us through the normal channels. Those requests will be reviewed and ruled upon and further information will be forthcoming concerning those. This is a voluntary process and the normal accommodation rule process is available to those that do not want to participate will be made available.”

___

4:26 p.m.

FINAL STAT CHECK

Facebook closed at $38.23, a gain of 23 cents, or 0.61 percent.

About 570 million shares were traded on its first day as a public company. For perspective, that is roughly equal to the combined trading volume of 28 of the 30 stocks in the Dow Jones industrial average — every Dow stock except Bank of America and JPMorgan Chase.

___

4:16 p.m.

CHECKING BACK IN WITH AN EARLY INVESTOR

Alper Aydinoglu, the student at DePaul University in Chicago who got 50 shares via Etrade at $38, said that he was “disappointed with the first day of trading.”

His gain on paper: $11.50.

Before Etrade’s standard commission of $9.99.

He called it an excellent learning opportunity, though. Plus this: “On top of everything, I now have the bragging rights that I participated in one of the most popular IPOs of all time.”

— Pallavi Gogoi, AP Business Writer

___

4:09 p.m.

ZUCK: PLAY ALONG AT HOME II

The closing stock price of $38.23, multiplied by a holding of 503,601,850 shares, gives CEO Mark Zuckerberg a stake worth $19,252,698,725.

And 50 cents.

___

4:02 p.m.

‘LIKE KISSING YOUR SISTER’

There’s the close on Facebook: $38.23.

All that excitement for a gain of — 23 cents. And it took a rush of buyers in the final minutes to achieve even that. Facebook was hugging the $38 mark for much of the final hour of trading.

In theory, closing near the IPO price is good. It means that the banks that took the company public judged demand almost perfectly, and got the most money possible for selling stockholders.

But in practice, it’s bad: The institutions that buy from the sellers — typically big investors like hedge funds, mutual funds and pension funds — have come to expect big profits on the first day.

“This is like kissing your sister,” said John Fitzgibbon, founder of IPO Scoop, a research firm. “With all the drumbeats and hype, I don’t think there’ll be bar room bragging tonight.”

— Bernard Condon, AP Business Writer

___

3:46 p.m.

ZUCK: PLAY ALONG AT HOME

If you want to figure up Mark Zuckerberg’s wealth at the end of the trading day, here’s the math: He still holds 503,601,850 shares of Facebook after the initial public offering.

If the stock closes at $38 — and it is hovering just pennies above that level with about 15 minutes of trading left — that would make Zuckerberg’s stake worth about $19.1 billion.

— Barbara Ortutay, AP Technology Writer

___

3:30 p.m.

TEACHABLE MOMENT

The Associated Press spoke earlier with Ann Sherman, an IPO expert and associate finance professor at DePaul University, and asked her to check back in with her thoughts at the end of the trading day.

With Facebook almost back to its offering price of $38 per share, she said that even the best stocks can be over-hyped.

Sherman added: “From now on, I’ll be able to use Facebook as the perfect example of what I tell the students in my IPO and venture capital class — that even apparently hot IPOs can be risky to price, and that no company can perfectly control the timing of their offering.”

— Pallavi Gogoi, AP Business Writer

___

3:23 p.m.

MAD MONEY

Earlier this week, Mad magazine imagined a Facebook stock certificate, complete with a photo of Mark Zuckerberg smiling from inside an oval, like George Washington on the dollar bill.

“Thank you for funding our ongoing effort to collect and control every single piece of personal information on the Internet,” the certificate says. “Every photograph, every song, every social cause, every event listing, every opinion, every breathless description of a recently eaten pulled-pork sandwich.”

Facebook is drifting back toward its offering price of $38. It’s up just 10 cents for the day now as volume nears half a billion shares.

___

3:11 p.m.

TILL THURSDAY

Bruno del Ama, the CEO of asset management firm Global X Funds, said that he will wait five full trading days, until after the market closes Thursday, to get in on Facebook.

“On the first day you see a tremendous amount of volatility,” he said. By the fifth day, investors should see more stability, he said.

He believes Facebook is here to stay: “Once companies have built a network, it’s really difficult to displace them,” he said. He added that while massive companies such as Google are trying to compete with Facebook, and may even have better technology, “we care about where our friends are.”

— Barbara Ortutay, AP Technology Writer

___

3:02 p.m.

AN HOUR TO GO

Facebook stock is trading at $39.02, up a little more than a buck. Volume just passed 450 million shares.

It’s another bleak day for the rest of the market, by the way. The Dow Jones industrial average appears headed for its 12th loss in the past 13 trading days. The Nasdaq composite, representing Facebook’s stock exchange, is down 1 percent.

___

2:54 p.m.

BUT SERIOUSLY, FOLKS

Twitter users are joking about the Facebook IPO.

From Conan O’Brien: “Today, Facebook went public, just as MySpace’s last user went private.”

And from the Twitter feed of the website Someecards: “My favorite Facebook public offerings are still your beach photos.”

— Peter Svensson, AP Technology Writer

___

2:29 p.m.

WE ARE THE ONE-QUARTER PERCENT

Conversations about the Facebook IPO accounted for 0.25 percent of all online discussion during the first part of the workday, according to NM Incite, a company that tracks social media traffic.

That may sound small, but it’s an increase of 5,000 percent compared with the buzz about the Facebook IPO a month ago. It is also four times greater than the chatter for the LinkedIn IPO and 10 times greater than the Groupon IPO.

— Scott Mayerowitz, AP Business Writer

___

2:18 p.m.

POP CULTURE

Francis Gaskins, president of IPOdesktop, a market research company, said that it wasn’t a bad thing that Facebook didn’t get a “pop” on its first day, similar to what happened during the 1990s dot-com frenzy.

He said that most tech companies going public want a big rise in their debut to show they’re “strong, dynamic companies standing out in the crowd” but that Facebook already has that image, and so may not care.

Gaskins said that the banks taking Facebook public have learned from the IPOs of social media companies in the past year and are better able to gauge demand and supply for a new stock.

He said a rise of 5 percent to 8 percent in this “tough market” is a success.

Facebook stock is up 5.5 percent as volume approaches 400 million shares.

— Bernard Condon, AP Business Writer

___

2:13 p.m.

ZUCK ON WHAT TODAY MEANS

CEO Mark Zuckerberg, speaking before he symbolically rang the opening bell for the Nasdaq from Menlo Park, Calif.:

“Right now this all seems like a big deal. Going public is an important milestone in our history. But here’s the thing: Our mission isn’t to be a public company. Our mission is to make the world more open and connected. In the past eight years, all of you out there have built the largest community in the history of the world. You’ve done amazing things that we never would have dreamed of, and I can’t wait to see what you guys all do going forward.”

___

2:05 p.m.

VITAL SIGNS

With two hours to go in the trading day, Facebook is at $40.50, or $2.50 higher than its offering price. Volume has just passed 380 million shares.

By comparison, Bank of America, frequently the most active stock in the Standard Poor’s 500 index, has traded only 155 million shares today. The next most active stock in the SP, JPMorgan Chase, is at 59 million.

___

1:57 p.m.

THE RUSH FROM SMALL INVESTORS

TD Ameritrade, the online brokerage, reports that in the first 45 minutes that Facebook was trading, it accounted for a record 24 percent of trades executed by its customers.

By comparison, on its first day back on the stock market, in November 2010, General Motors represented 7 percent of overall trades on TD Ameritrade. For the LinkedIn IPO, in May 2011, the figure was 5 percent.

Steve Quirk, who oversees trading strategy at TD Ameritrade, said that about 60,000 orders were lined up before Facebook opened.

“The volume has been unbelievable even though the stock hasn’t moved dramatically,” Quirk said. “It’s a hot topic in our chat rooms, and most people expected to see the stock move more than it has.”

— Pallavi Gogoi, AP Business Writer

___

1:47 p.m.

UPDATE ON SOCIAL MEDIA STOCKS

Facebook stock is trading at about $41.25, a healthy gain of more than $3, but the gain is not translating to other social media companies, especially those with ties to Facebook.

LinkedIn is down 3.3 percent, Groupon is down 6 percent, and Zynga, which is trading again, is down more than 8 percent.

— Bree Fowler, AP Business Writer

___

1:23 p.m.

CALIFORNIA DREAMING

Gov. Jerry Brown of California must not have seen “The Social Network.”

In an appearance on “CBS This Morning,” Brown said that his state is the land of innovation and that it was where Facebook was invented. He added: “Not in Texas, not in Arizona, not in Manhattan and certainly not, you know, under the White House or the Congress.”

But interviewer Charlie Rose pointed out that CEO Mark Zuckerberg and others developed the site at Harvard University, all the way across the country in Cambridge, Mass.

Brown responded that the Facebook inventors quickly came to California, “where all the other innovative people are.”

— Juliet Williams, AP Sacramento bureau

___

1:16 p.m.

EXPERIENCING THE FACEBOOK IPO ON FACEBOOK

Facebook’s IPO has Wall Street abuzz. But what about Facebook’s 900 million users?

Some were debating whether they should get in on the buying frenzy. Others were guessing the closing price. Several were lamenting that they hadn’t thought to invent the social media site themselves.

A few treated even the company like a person, congratulating it on the public offering as they might a friend on the birth of a child.

“Hey Facebook! Have a good first day on the stock market,” a swimming pool maintenance and repairman from Petaluma, Calif., wrote from a mobile device. Within two hours, eight other Facebook users had “liked” the post.

Not all Facebook users were obsessed with the company’s entrance to the stock market. The went along with their everyday lives, posting photos of drunken debauchery that they might one day regret, weighting in on the presidential election, celebrating Haitian flag day or just welcoming the start of the weekend.

— Scott Mayerowitz, AP Business Writer

___

1:05 p.m.

NASDAQ ON THE DELAY

Seconds before noon, with demand for Facebook stock overwhelming, Nasdaq issued a message on one of its websites saying that it was “investigating an issue in delivering trade execution messages” from the Facebook IPO.

Nasdaq initially planned the first trades of Facebook stock for 11 a.m., then 11:05 a.m. The stock opened at about 11:30.

Facebook is trading at about $41, or $3 higher than its offering price. Volume is approaching 320 million shares traded.

— Tali Arbel, AP Business Writer

___

12:55 p.m.

A FUND MANAGER WEIGHS IN

Chris Brown, manager of the Pax World Balanced mutual fund, made a roughly $14 million investment when his $1.9 billion fund acquired private shares of Facebook on a secondary market before the IPO.

As shares traded publicly for around $40 at midday Friday, Brown said the rise from the stock’s $38 opening price was unsurprising.

“Going into the IPO, there has been a lot of skepticism from investors, in particular institutional investors, questioning anything from whether the price of the stock is fair, to whether Facebook can successfully monetize and sell ads,” he said.

“We’re long-term investors. It’s nice to have the stock up for one day, but it’s only one day. It’s hard to extrapolate much as to the future of the company.”

In coming days, Brown expects plenty of ups and downs for the stock, as investors assess a company whose prospects are hard to pin down because of its evolving business model.

“You’re going to see obviously an extreme amount of volatility over the next week as people evaluate the stock,” Brown said.

— Mark Jewell, AP Personal Finance Writer

___

12:50 p.m.

THE OUTSIDER’S VIEW

“I’m part of the 99 percent. I don’t buy stock shares,” Jerry Urban said as he waited for a bus in Baltimore. “I wish them good luck. Tell them to stop selling my information.”

Facebook stock is at about $40.50, or $2.50 higher than its offering price.

— Alex Dominguez, AP Baltimore bureau

___

12:24 p.m.

SHOULD YOU BUY? A VIEW FROM ONE BANKER

Facebook stock is up about 6 percent from its offering price. More than a quarter-billion shares have been traded.

Blessing Oguguam of Nashville, Tenn., a vice president in business banking for Wells Fargo who has worked in commercial lending for 15 years, said he was not comfortable buying Facebook stock:

“I’m thinking it’s great for now. But 10 years from now, is that crave still going to be there? So if I go ahead and invest now, I know Facebook is not producing any product. It’s just a social media site. So in 10 years to come, if this hype dies down, then what happens to my investment?”

— Lucas L. Johnson II, AP Nashville bureau

___

12:19 p.m.

WATCHING OTHER SOCIAL STOCKS

Some recent quotes from other social media stocks:

LinkedIn: Down 2.2 percent.

Groupon: Down 6 percent.

Zynga: Down 13 percent, and apparently halted. Its last trade was about 40 minutes ago.

___

12:17 p.m.

ELSEWHERE IN TECH LAND

It’s a good day for some other big-name technology stocks.

Stock in Yahoo is up more than 5 percent after a report from All Things D, a website devoted to technology news, that Yahoo was close to selling part of its valuable stake in the Chinese Internet company Alibaba Group.

Apple, which has fallen more than $100 per share from its all-time intraday high of $644 on April 10, is up 1.3 percent at $537. Google is up 0.3 percent at $624 per share.

Meanwhile, Facebook has nudged back over the $40 level, and volume has surpassed 250 million shares traded.

___

12:02 p.m.

BACK UP FOR THE DAY

Facebook stock has climbed back to about $40 as trading volume surpasses 220 million shares. The stock had opened at $42.05 and sunk back to $38, its offering price, but did not cross below that level. That indicates heavy buying interest in the stock at $38.

___

11:50 a.m.

DRIFTING BACK TOWARD $38

Facebook stock, which opened with a gain of about $4 over its offering price of $38, has steadily drifted lower in the first half-hour of trading. It is hovering now at about $38. Trading volume is closing in on 200 million shares.

___

11:47 a.m.

150 MILLION SHARES

Facebook’s trading volume is surging. It passed 150 million shares traded about 15 minutes after its debut on the Nasdaq. The price has drifted back toward the offering price and is now at about $39, a rise of $1.

The stock of another Internet company, Zynga, responsible for the popular FarmVille game on Facebook, appears to be halted for trading after it plunged minutes into the Facebook debut. There is no immediate word on why.

___

11:38 a.m.

BIG VOLUME

Facebook topped 100 million shares traded in the first four minutes after its debut on the Nasdaq. By comparison, Amazon.com has traded about 2.2 million shares today and Google about 2 million.

Seven minutes after its first trade, the stock was hovering at about $40, a $2 gain over its offering price.

___

11:32 a.m.

FACEBOOK STOCK OPENS

More than 80 million shares have traded in the first minute at the Nasdaq. The stock opened with a jump of about 11 percent, at $42.05, or $4.05 higher than the listing price.

— Seth Sutel, AP Business Writer

___

11:28 a.m.

REPORT OF DELAY AT NASDAQ

The Wall Street Journal reports that traders are experiencing problems changing and canceling their orders for Facebook stock ahead of the debut. There is no immediate comment from Nasdaq.

___

11:19 a.m.

SNAGGING SOME SHARES

Alper Aydinoglu, a student at DePaul University in Chicago, said that he got 50 shares via an Etrade account that he opened specifically to buy Facebook shares.

“It’s my first IPO experience,” Aydinoglu said.

He added: “I bought the stock for a couple of reasons. No. 1, there’s so much hype about Facebook and everybody is going to be getting in on it, so there will likely be a huge pop in the stock today. Another reason is that Facebook is a great company. Mark Zuckerberg created something huge.”

He said that if the stock rises 15 percent to 50 percent, he may sell half and keep the rest. If the stock drops, he said, he plans to get out altogether.

— Pallavi Gogoi, AP Business Writer

___

11:07 a.m.

WAITING IN TIMES SQUARE

People are huddled outside the windows of the Nasdaq site in Times Square, waiting for the stock to open. People are holding up cell phones and cameras pointed at the Nasdaq board, waiting to get a picture of the first price change.

— Joseph Pisani, AP Business Writer

___

11:02 a.m.

A WARNING FROM GERMANY

A German data protection official has warned Facebook investors that the site’s $38 starting share price is based on practices that may breach European privacy rules.

Thilo Weichert, data protection commissioner for the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, said shareholders should be aware that if European privacy authorities have their way, “Facebook’s business model will implode.”

Weichert was quoted by German daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung on Friday saying Facebook could be ordered to stop transferring user information to the United States.

Facebook’s IPO prospectus warns investors that its business is subject to “complex and evolving U.S. and foreign laws and regulations regarding privacy, data protection, and other matters” that could harm its business.

___

10:52 a.m.

THE ARGUMENT AGAINST JUMPING IN

The banks helping take Facebook public want us to value this 8-year-old upstart at as much as $104 billion, more than Disney or Kraft Foods, though those companies earn three and four times more. That top valuation is also more than 100 times Facebook’s earnings last year, versus 13 times for the average company.

At such a high price, it will take years for this so-called earnings multiple to fall to a more reasonable level, and that’s assuming the company can maintain its torrid earnings growth.

To make money in Facebook, you’re betting that other buyers will be just as willing as you to hold their nose at the valuation, and keep doing so for years.

Facebook grew its earnings 65 percent last year, faster than at most companies, so you should pay more for it than you would the typical company. But how much more? Profits at Apple grew 85 percent last year. Its stock is trading at 13 times earnings per share.

— Bernard Condon, AP Business Writer

___

10:47 a.m.

THE REACTION ONLINE

Facebook’s IPO was trending on Twitter, but it wasn’t the No. 1 item. God, a retiring Chicago Cubs pitcher, Kanye West’s new film and Haitian Flag Day all were trending higher in the U.S. at 10:30 a.m.

Down at No. 9 was “$FB,” a tag used to talk about the offering. At the top of the list? The hashtag “ThingsWeAskGod2helpUsWith,” along with news about the possible retirement of Cubs pitcher Kerry Wood and “Cruel Summer,” the name of Kanye West’s short file that will debut at the Cannes Film Festival.

The IPO was No. 2 in trending Google searches, right after the death of disco queen Donna Summer.

— Scott Mayerowitz, AP Business Writer

___

10:40 a.m.

AT INTRADE, BETTING ON A BIG FIRST-DAY GAIN

Intrade, the online betting market, is getting in on the early Facebook action. Its top item for bidding is a wager on Facebook’s share price at the close of the first day of trading.

Based on its orders to date, Intrade said that the market is predicting a 77 percent chance that the close is $45 or higher. A closing price of $45 would represent a first-day gain of 18 percent for the stock.

The odds that the price would close at $60 or higher were only 15 percent. But there was a widespread assumption the stock would finish up for the day. Intrade put the odds of a close of $40 or higher at 92 percent.

To bet on a prediction, you need to open and fund an account at Intrade.com.

— Dave Carpenter, AP Personal Finance Writer

___

10:33 a.m.

ONE ARGUMENT FOR BUYING

Facebook will sell on the open market for 20 times the company’s projected 2012 revenue, based on its IPO price of $38. Google, by comparison, is trading at about six times its projected revenue for this year.

But Facebook hasn’t been as aggressive as it could have been about selling ads or finding other ways to make money where its visitors, on average, dwell for an average of 6½ hours per month, according to comScore Inc.

Instead of ramping up revenue, Facebook has concentrated on attracting users — an emphasis that is bound to pay off.

Facebook also has a big personnel advantage: Sheryl Sandberg, hired as the company’s chief operating officer in 2008. She played a key role in expanding Google’s advertising system during its first few years as a publicly held company, a period when the company’s stock hit its peak so far.

— Michael Liedtke, AP Technology Writer

___

10:24 a.m.

THE RIPPLE EFFECT: OTHER IPOs?

Ann Sherman, an expert on initial public offerings and an assistant professor in the department of finance at the DePaul University, said that the IPO will lead other technology companies to go public.

“Facebook is unique in so many ways, but its IPO will certainly inspire other companies to try an IPO if they are already thinking of it,” she said.

But other companies won’t get a reception anything like Facebook’s, she said. They will face much more muted investor demand, like that for Groupon and Linkedin, she said.

— Pallavi Gogoi, AP Business Writer

___

10:15 a.m.

A POP FOR THE NASDAQ

The stock market is flat so far, but it’s a good day for one stock in particular — Nasdaq OMX Group, which operates the Nasdaq Stock Market.

Facebook announced in April that it would list its shares there, under the stock ticker symbol “FB.” The Nasdaq is also home to Google and Microsoft.

Stock in Nasdaq OMX Group is up 1.7 percent for the day. The Nasdaq composite index is up just 0.06 percent.

___

10:04 a.m.

MORE FROM THE NASDAQ SITE

In Times Square, people walking by are taking pictures of the giant Nasdaq billboard, which today features the Facebook logo. Some are “checking in” to the Nasdaq on Facebook.

Frederick Nolde, 31, of Richmond, Va., is in New York for meetings. He said that he bought 100 shares of Facebook through E(asterisk)Trade. He thinks the company is worth $100 billion, but he said the real question is how Facebook performs with mobile users.

“If they can figure that out, they’ll do well,” he said.

— Joseph Pisani, AP Business Writer

___

9:56 a.m.

STATUS UPDATE

On Mark Zuckerberg’s Facebook page, under recent activity, was this, posted shortly after 9:30 a.m. EDT:

“Mark listed FB on NASDAQ.”

___

9:52 a.m.

VIEW FROM THE NASDAQ

At Nasdaq’s streetfront location in Times Square, Dennis Hitchings, a retiree from Columbus, Ohio, was peering through the window at Nasdaq’s board of constantly changing stock prices.

He said that he doesn’t think Facebook is worth $100 billion — “They don’t have the revenue” — but he did say he would buy the stock at $38.

— Joseph Pisani, AP Business Writer

___

9:39 a.m.

TALE OF THE TAPE

How Facebook stands up against one of its Internet rivals, Google, based on the most recent available data:

Annual revenue — Google $38 billion, Facebook $3.7 billion.

Advertising revenue — Google $36.5 billion, Facebook $3.2 billion.

Annual net income — Google $9.7 billion, Facebook $668 million.

Employees — Google 33,100, Facebook 3,500.

___

9:33 a.m.

THE OPENING BELL

Wearing his trademark hoodie and standing before a huge crowd in Menlo Park, Calif., CEO Mark Zuckerberg symbolically opened trading on the Nasdaq Stock Market.

Facebook stock won’t begin trading until later in the morning. The broader market opened slightly higher, with the Nasdaq composite index up about 10 points, or 0.3 percent.

___

9:27 a.m.

SOME PERSPECTIVE ON MARKET VALUE

The IPO price values Facebook at $104 billion. By comparison, here are the top five companies in the Standard Poor’s 500 index by market value, based on Thursday’s closing stock prices:

Apple, $496 billion

Exxon Mobil, $383 billion

Microsoft, $250 billion

IBM, $229 billion

Wal-Mart Stores, $210 billion

— Seth Sutel, AP Business Writer

___

9:15 a.m.

FLASHBACK: GOOGLE’S DEBUT

The last technology stock to go public with this level of attention was Google, which made its debut Aug. 19, 2004. Here’s how The Associated Press covered it:

SAN JOSE, Calif. — In the most highly anticipated Wall Street debut since the heady days of the dot-com boom, shares of Google surged nearly 20 percent on their first day of public trading Thursday as the quirky Internet company completed its much-hyped initial stock offering.

Despite the first-day jump, the debut generated much less money than the company envisioned after it launched an unorthodox auction designed to open the stock beyond large investors who typically get first crack at new stock issues.

Google shares finished the day at $100.34, up 18 percent, and the stock offering raised $1.67 billion. The company originally hoped to open at between $108 and $135, generating as much as $3.6 billion and making the company worth up to $36 billion.

___

8:54 a.m.

THE RIPPLE EFFECT: CALIFORNIA CASH

Besides minting Internet billionaires, the Facebook IPO should provide a little help for the cash-starved state of California.

The state’s nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office says the IPO will generate $1.6 billion to $2.6 billion for the state through the middle of next year as shareholders cash in their stock.

California badly needs the money: Gov. Jerry Brown said over the weekend that the projected state deficit has swelled to $15.7 billion for the coming fiscal year. In January, it was projected at $9.2 billion.

___

8:48 a.m.

POP AND DROP

Several of last year’s must-have IPO stocks aren’t exactly must-haves anymore.

Pandora, an Internet radio company, went public June 15 at $20 a share. You could have bought the stock during the day for $26. It’s now trading under $11.

Groupon, the online daily deal company, priced its stock at $20 a share on Nov. 4. It traded above $31 the first day and is now under $13.

And LinkedIn, a social network for professionals, more than doubled from its $45 offer price within minutes of hitting the market last May 19. It reached $122.70 on the first day before closing at $94.25. It’s back to about $105.

— Dave Carpenter, Personal Finance Writer

___

8:41 a.m.

THE KID BILLIONAIRE

CEO Mark Zuckerberg is selling about 30 million shares of Facebook as part of the initial public offering. At $38 each, he pockets $1.15 billion. He will remain Facebook’s largest shareholder, will more than 32 percent of Facebook’s total shares. At the $38 share price, his stake in the company is worth $19.1 billion.

Zuckerberg will control the company with 56 percent of its voting stock as a result of agreements he has with other shareholders who promise to vote his way.

Here’s his bio:

AGE: 28. Born May 14, 1984.

RESIDENCE: Palo Alto, Calif. Grew up in Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.

EDUCATION: Philips Exeter Academy, class of 2002. Studied computer science at Harvard University before dropping out.

PROFESSIONAL CAREER: Co-founded Facebook in his Harvard dorm room in 2004. Has served as CEO since.

FAMILY: Mother, Karen; father, Edward; sisters Arielle, Donna and Randi Zuckerberg.

___

8:30 a.m.

NEXT STOP: 1 BILLION

Have a look at how explosively Facebook has grown. According to the company, this is when the site passed milestones for its number of active users, defined as someone who logs on at least once a month:

1 million — End of 2004.

5.5 million — End of 2005.

12 million — End of 2006.

20 million — April 2007.

50 million — October 2007.

100 million — August 2008.

150 million — January 2009.

175 million — February 2009.

200 million — April 2009.

250 million — July 2009.

300 million — September 2009.

350 million — End of 2009.

400 million — February 2010.

500 million — July 2010.

608 million — End of 2010.

750 million — July 2011.

800 million — September 2011.

845 million — End of 2011.

901 million — March 2012.

___

HEDGE FUND VIEW: HE’S IN

Andrew Schneider, a hedge fund adviser and CEO of San Francisco-based Schneider Family Office, was busy selling shares of Apple and LinkedIn on Thursday to free up cash for buying Facebook.

He planned to spend at least $20 million, or 8 percent of his firm’s liquid assets.

“You’ve got 900 million users, and you’ve got real solid revenue, and the company is earning money,” Schneider said.

He’s not concerned about plowing such a large proportion into one company: “We feel very strongly and very comfortably about this.” Nor is he rattled by General Motors’ announcement that it would stop buying display ads on Facebook. He calls that “a very, very small amount.”

Schneider pointed out that there were naysayers when Google went public in 2004, priced at $85 a share. It closed Thursday at $630.

“A lot of people went on the short side of Google when it opened,” said Schneider, who is also CEO of Global Hedge Fund Advisors. “And boy, were they wrong.”

—Christina Rexrode, AP Business Writer

___

HEDGE FUND VIEW: STEERING CLEAR

Whitney Tilson said that his hedge fund, T2 Partners, avoids newly public companies as a rule because companies tend to go public only when things are going well.

T2 Partners prefers to look for battered stocks that it can scoop up cheaply. It bought more stock in JCPenney this week. Tilson admits, though, that avoiding initial public offerings doesn’t always work. Google, he says, “turned out to be a great deal.”

Tilson said he expects Facebook’s stock will rise over the long term. Facebook, he says, “does look and smell a lot like Google.”

— Christina Rexrode, AP Business Writer

___

INSTEAD OF A RED CARPET, RED INK

Facebook isn’t getting much of a welcome to the neighborhood.

Thursday was one of the worst days of the year for stocks. The Dow Jones industrial average dropped 156 points and has fallen 11 of the past 12 days, mostly because investors are nervous about turmoil in debt-burdened Greece.

The Nasdaq composite, representing the stock exchange where Facebook will trade, fell 2 percent on Thursday. The composite was up almost 20 percent for the year at the end of March, but that gain has withered to 8 percent.

— Erin McClam, Financial Markets Editor

Article source: http://news.yahoo.com/facebook-ipo-live-social-network-goes-public-123137118--finance.html

Avaya and IDG Debut the CIO Collaboration Network

FRAMINGHAM, Mass.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–

To provide an online destination for content and discussion related to
business collaboration and communications, The CIO
Collaboration Network is a destination for IT executives who can
access content, share views, collaborate, and network with peers based
on topics developed by the community manager and CIO Collaboration
Network members. The site—which features specially produced articles,
multimedia content, and commentary by the manager and members—also
includes content from around the web. Forrester and The Harvard Business
Review will produce content for the site that will appear along with
articles from CIO
and Network
World.

The CIO Collaboration Network is a forum that brings to life Avaya’s
tagline -“The Power of We”- by bringing together a community of IT
executives with the right information and context for them to make
better business decisions.

Earned, Paid, and Owned Media
With referrals from the CIO
Executive Council—a community of strategic thought leaders who are
passionate about driving the evolution of the IT profession—IT
executives will be interviewed along with Avaya subject matter experts.
The interviews will be conducted via the Internet with Avaya’s One
Touch Video product as part of the technology marketing program.

Among the key topics are video, business, and mobile collaboration. To
share discussion on those topics and primary research conducted on the
CIO Collaboration Network, IDG will produce CIO Community Pulse guides.
The research findings will also be detailed in Research Briefs. To aid
Avaya sales professionals, IDG will create a summary of content in the
site and provide tips on how Avaya sales can use the CIO Collaboration
Network with their prospects and clients.

“The CIO Collaboration Network combines the power of earned, paid, and
owned media,” said Ozzie Solares, senior manager, Global Brand
Management, Avaya. “The information and social networking are a focal
point for education and collaboration among peers: The Power of We.”

IDG’s Community Works at the Core of Avaya Network
IDG
Community Works services produce “a social web activation” plan built
around content and a dedicated community manager. Program components for
the Avaya-sponsored, March-September 2012 CIO Collaboration Network,
include: recruit bloggers to post articles related to site themes;
establish Community Threading in several appropriate online communities
to provide relevant content and tweets to draw visitors to www.ciocollaborationnetwork.com;
and, connect the site to social networks such as LinkedIn, Twitter, and
YouTube.

“The Avaya Community is one of the most comprehensive examples of
Community Works,” said Charles Lee, senior vice president, Strategic
Programs and Custom Solutions, IDG Strategic Marketing Services and IDG
Enterprise, Strategic Content Services. “The production of multimedia
content valued by IT buyers and prospects tied to extensive social
outreach and curation and interaction is a powerful combination for B2B
IT marketers.”

The community manager is Dave
Michels who is an established commentator in the enterprise
communications industry. Avaya
is a global provider of business collaboration and communications
solutions, providing unified communications, contact centers, networking
and related services to companies of all sizes around the world.

Promotion and Metrics
A range of social outreach including
Community Threading, influential bloggers, and executive IT moderators
and contributors will attract visitors to the site. IDG will also
promote the CIO Collaboration Network on CIO.com.

To highlight information of interest, a weekly newsletter will be sent
to members who complete a brief registration form.

The six month program that supports Avaya’s technology marketing
campaign “Power of We” will be measured by share of conversation around
topics, social engagement, number of registrations, and site data such
as page views per visit, visit duration, and repeat visits.

About International Data Group
International
Data Group (IDG) is the world’s leading technology media, events and
research company. IDG’s media brands – including CIO®, CSO®,
Computerworld®, GamePro®, InfoWorld®, Macworld®, Network World®,
PCWorld® and TechWorld® – reach an audience of more than 280 million
technology buyers in 97 countries.

Online, IDG’s network features more than 460 websites spanning business
technology, consumer technology, digital entertainment, and video games
worldwide. The IDG TechNetwork represents more than 460 independent
websites in an ad network complementary to IDG’s media brands. IDG® is
also a leading producer of more than 700 technology-related events,
including Macworld | iWorld, E3 Expo, DEMO®, SNW™, and IDC Directions®.

IDG’s marketing services include lead generation with IDG Connect®,
custom publishing, social web marketing with IDG Amplify® ads and IDG
Social Scout™ analysis and program development, and IDG Market Fusion™
research and content optimization.

IDC®, a subsidiary of IDG, is the premier global provider of market
intelligence; advisory services; and events in IT, telecommunications,
and consumer technology markets. Over 1,000 IDC analysts in more than
110 countries provide global, regional, and local expertise on
technology and industry opportunities and trends.

Additional information about IDG, a privately held company, is available
at http://www.idg.com.

Trademarks and registered trademarks are owned by International Data
Group, Inc. All product and company names are trademarks of their
respective companies.

Article source: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/avaya-idg-debut-cio-collaboration-184900177.html

Facebook and the Limits of the Network Effect

By the conventional understanding of the network effect, which states a service is as valuable as the number of people using it, Facebook can only benefit, right? The social network has 845 million users logging on to the site multiple times a day and only has plans to get bigger as it just went public this morning and needs to keep growing to prove its value. But, in Facebook’s case, as the site grows and its network gets bigger, it will also get more annoying and less useful. Facebook’s network effect isn’t exponential, it’s more of a curve, that will, at some point, start its downhill trajectory.

RELATED: Is Facebook Turning Us Into Lonely Robots? Or Worse?

The essence of a social network is that it connects one person to another person. That’s its value for regular people. And, Facebook’s mission is to do just that, “the make the world more open and connected,” as it describes in its S1 filing on that glowing web of connectivity over there. More connected means getting more people on the network. It also means getting them to share more things on the network. (Think: Open Graph.) For Facebook users, finding more and better ways to connect with friends or “friends” is the reason we use Facebook. That’s the network effect in action. If none of our friends were on Facebook, for whom would we post those memes and vacations photos? We wouldn’t. And the theory goes: the more people on there too share various things with, the more useful the product. 

RELATED: How Facebook’s ‘Like’ Button Is Taking Over the Internet

Facebook has succeeded at its mission. The site has millions of users and has shown steady growth since its inception. (See: Graphs below, from the S1.) And with its new Open Graph strategy, our sharing extends beyond photos and status updates to “verbs.” So we are more connected in more ways with more people. But, that mission is flawed, if Facebook wants to provide a useful service. Making our worlds more connected only makes the service less useful. As it grows, Facebook connects us with people we don’t want to be connected with all the time. Sometimes our friends turn into “friends” over time and we end up sharing things with this network that we don’t really care about.One could limit their Facebook network to a select group of friends — sans “friends” — but at this point, not accepting a Facebook friendship is a social faux pas. Plus, whose mother hasn’t guilted them into accepting a Facebook friendship? (This must be a trend if there was a Modern Family story line about it.)

RELATED: Facebook’s Middle East Censorship Problem

RELATED: Prius Drivers Will Get Their Own Social Network

And, as Facebook inspires more sharing of more things we do, we have even more opportunities to share things we don’t want with certain groups of people. Sure, one can limit privacy controls. But, how much can we or do we want to micromanage our sharing? At some point it will feel easier to split our social lives on different networks with different friends. Instagram for that set; Path for that other one. And Facebook will have gotten so bloated we won’t want to hang out there at all.

RELATED: Boston Venture Capitalists Ponder the Facebook Billions They Missed

This migration might come naturally, but Facebook’s business plans almost ensure the site will become an unpleasant Internet space. Facebook’s business pitch relies on a growing audience. From the S1: “Reach. Facebook offers the ability to reach a vast consumer audience of over 800 million MAUs with a single advertising purchase.” Facebook sells itself as the Super Bowl of Internet sites: All the eyes are here. The more eyes the better (for businesses) and, worse for users. So it must grow. But it also needs to get better at selling these eye-balls. Facebook earned an average of $1.21 per Facebooker each quarter, Google earned $7.14. To make more money off of each user — and stop losing advertisers — it needs a more convincing advertising model, which probably means a more annoying user experience. Because who likes anything ad related? (Not even Mark Zuckerberg!)

Article source: http://news.yahoo.com/facebook-limits-network-effect-202053919.html

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Microsoft and Ford Join FiRe 2012 as Silver Partners

FRIDAY HARBOR, WA–(Marketwire -05/18/12)-
Ford and Microsoft joined Strategic News Service as a Future in Review (FiRe) 2012 Silver Partner this week. The sponsorship reflects the companies’ shared commitment to creating a better-connected car experience through the Ford SYNC software platform in select Ford and Lincoln vehicles. FiRe, an annual technology conference now in its 10th year, brings together a tight-knit community of global thought leaders to discuss emerging markets, global problems, and technology-based solutions.

“We are delighted to have the top global team in our ‘Car Computing’ category joining us for FiRe X. We consider Ford to be the hands-down leader in implementing advanced technology in the automotive world, and we are deeply aware of Microsoft’s core position in providing a technology platform that enables drivers and passengers to easily and safely interact with the system. I have no doubt that, together, they will provide our group with the most advanced understanding of the future of technology in the automotive sector,” said Mark Anderson, FiRe Chair and SNS CEO.

Recognizing the shift in consumer technology, Ford and Microsoft joined forces in 2007 to bring the vision for an affordable, easy to use in-car system to life, giving consumers the ability to combine their digital lifestyle with their life on the road. The Ford SYNC software platform is one of the first in-car technologies in the world that seamlessly blends the latest in consumer electronics with the functionality of a vehicle. Futurists from both companies will be speaking at the FiRe Conference.

Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 166,000 employees and about 70 plants worldwide, the company’s automotive brands include Ford and Lincoln. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. Founded in 1975, Microsoft (MSFT) is the worldwide leader in software services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

The Strategic News Service provides a weekly online newsletter predicting global trends in technology and economics. It is the most accurate publicly-graded predictive newsletter covering the computer and telecom industries. Recent calls include the 2007 global economic meltdown, the emergence of “Currency Wars” and of “Economic Cyberwar,” together with increasing global IP theft by China, among other major global trends. SNS is delivered each week to a subscriber base of C-level global technology and finance executives, and to thought leaders in technology, science and economics.

It is also the host of Future in Review (FiRe). FiRe attendees convene each year with the goal of solving major world problems; a goal that is consistently met through FiRe’s collaboration across disparate industries and the intellectual and strategic guidance of FiRe Chair and SNS CEO, Mark Anderson. Future in Review 2012 will take place May 22-25th at the beautiful Montage Resort in Laguna Beach, California. The Economist has called FiRe “The best technology conference in the world.”

To register and learn more, visit www.futureinreview.com.

Strategic News Service was founded by Mark Anderson in 1995 as the first paid online news service. Since its inception, SNS has proven the most accurate predictive newsletter covering the computer and telecom industries. Its subscribers include top managers at technology companies across the globe, including Microsoft, Dell, HP, Cisco, Intel, Sun, Google, Telstra, Orange and others.

SNS has been operating the annual FiRe Conference for ten years. The Economist calls FiRe “the best technology conference in the world.” FiRe exposes world experts and participants to new ideas, producing an accurate portrait of the future and focuses on creating technology solutions to current local and global problems. FiRe 2012 will take place May 22-25, 2012 at the Montage in Laguna Beach, CA. For more information go to www.futureinreview.com.

Future in Review™ is a Strategic News Service™ conference. Future in ReviewTM, and Strategic News Service™ are registered international trademarks. The SNS newsletter is the most accurate publicly ranked predictive newsletter in computing and communications.

Websites: www.stratnews.com, www.futureinreview.com, www.futureinreview.com/global/wc

Press
Jennifer Lee
Strategic News Service
Tel. 360 378 8628
Email: Jenny@stratnews.com

Article source: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/microsoft-ford-join-fire-2012-131100316.html

Microsoft reprises free Xbox back-to-school PC promo

Computerworld - Microsoft will repeat last year’s back-to-school promotion, kicking off the deal Sunday with an offer of a free Xbox 360 game console to eligible U.S. students who buy a new Windows 7 PC.

Canadian students also qualify for this year’s program, which launches there today.

U.S. high school or college students with proof of status — a student ID card or an email address that ends in .edu — will receive a 4GB Xbox 360 when they purchase a Windows PC for $699 or more. In Canada, the benchmark PC price is $599.

Microsoft will be giving students the $199 Xbox 360, its lowest-priced console, and one that does not come with the Kinect controller.

Unlike last year, when Microsoft’s only retail partner was Best Buy, this year the company has expanded the list of participating retailers to Best Buy and Fry’s Electronics in the U.S., and Best Buy, Future Shop, Staples and The Source in Canada. Online sellers include Dell, Hewlett-Packard and Newegg in the U.S., and Dell in Canada.

Microsoft will also honor the deal at its own retail stores — there are 21, all in the U.S., either open or expected to open this summer — and at its U.S. Microsoft Store website.

The company has apparently left more in the hands of its partners than last year, when Microsoft specified the end date — Sept. 3, 2011 — and the deal’s terms and conditions.

Those details are now up to the participating retailers and e-tailers, Microsoft said in a blog post today. For example, Dell Canada said that its offer expires June 29.

This was the second year running that Microsoft beat Apple to the back-to-school punch. Apple, which has a longer history of offering deals to students, launched its promotion June 16, 2011, nearly a month after Microsoft’s.

Apple’s 2011 program was also the first in years that did not feature a free iPod Touch with the purchase of a new Mac. Instead, the Cupertino, Calif. company handed out $100 iTunes gift cards to students, parents, teachers and staff members.

The cards could be used for purchases at Apple’s digital content markets, including the Mac App Store, the iOS App Store, iBookstore and the iTunes music store.

Depending on when students purchase a Windows PC to get an Xbox, they may be eligible for a free upgrade to Windows 8 Pro when the new operating system launches later this year.

Microsoft has not unveiled a Windows 8 upgrade program, but recent rumors have pegged an announcement to the first week of June, when the company also will debut Windows 8 Release Preview, the OS’s final public milestone.

Earlier this week, Windows blogger Paul Thurrott, citing unnamed sources, claimed that Microsoft would charge users $14.99 for the upgrade to Windows 8 Pro if they purchased a Windows 7 PC between the launch of the program and January 2013.

Gregg Keizer covers Microsoft, security issues, Apple, Web browsers and general technology breaking news for Computerworld. Follow Gregg on Twitter at @gkeizer, on Google+ or subscribe to Gregg’s RSS feed . His email address is gkeizer@computerworld.com.

See more by Gregg Keizer on Computerworld.com.

• Microsoft reprises free Xbox back-to-school PC promo
• Microsoft to charge $15 for Windows 8 upgrade deal
• Senate to look at Mozilla’s browser competition allegations
• Microsoft preps Windows 8 upgrade deal for early June debut, says report
• Mozilla on new browser brouhaha: Microsoft, Apple different cases
• Microsoft touts Windows 8′s ability to detect, fix hard disk problems
• Mozilla accuses Microsoft of anticompetitive behavior with Windows RT
• Microsoft mute on Nook app’s bundling with Windows 8
• Slow uptake of Windows 8 preview hints at lack of interest
• Microsoft slates Windows 8 ‘release preview’ for early June

Continuing coverage: Windows 8

Read more about Windows in Computerworld’s Windows Topic Center.

Article source: http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9227284/Microsoft_reprises_free_Xbox_back_to_school_PC_promo

Microsoft: No Windows Phone 'Mango,' No Marketplace

Microsoft has issued a warning to users still running older versions of its mobile OS – upgrade now or lose access to the Windows Marketplace.

Windows Phone users will need version 7.5 “Mango” on their gadgets in order to buy, download, or update apps in the Marketplace, Microsoft’s Mazhar Mohammed said in a blog post this week. That applies to the Web- and phone-based storefronts, he said.

“In short, the new requirement is tied to a larger Marketplace improvement effort,” Mohammed wrote. “But the key takeaway is that if you like apps and games, you’ll soon need Windows Phone 7.5 installed to continue using Marketplace. Most of you already do.”

Microsoft first provided a warning about the impending switch back in April. At the time, the company said that a “handful” of users were still on older versions, which could present performance and security issues down the line.

Users will still be able to browse the Marketplace on pre-Mango versions of Windows, but will receive error messages when trying to complete any other tasks.

More details about upgrading your phone is available on Microsoft’s Windows Phone Update central.

For more, see PCMag’s full review of Windows Phone “Mango” and the slideshow below.

The next version of the OS is expected to be “Tango.” PCMag’s Sascha Segan got some details about the new OS earlier this year at Mobile World Congress.

For more from Chloe, follow her on Twitter @ChloeAlbanesius.

View Slideshow
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