Despite people trying to convince me that the Microsoft Seinfeld ad campaign was indeed funny after I (and a pretty good-sized percentage of bloggers and online journalists) bashed the initial one, Microsoft has decided to pull the plug on Seinfeld. Let me say right off, I don’t blame Seinfeld for the ads being lame.
Google, Microsoft Looking At BlackBerry Search
The nickname "CrackBerry" seems more appropriate than ever today as not one, but two major companies have turned their attention to the device. Google Mobile App for BlackBerry comes from one corner, while a search deal is reportedly in the works between Microsoft and RIM.
Microsoft Seinfeld Ad Not Exactly a Hit
The first of those Jerry Seinfeld/Bill Gates Microsoft commercials has made its way into the public eye – an eye that most wish had remained closed. Microsoft’s attempt to bring some humor into their advertising campaign, and presumably to outdo the Justin Long Mac commercials, has been met with an overwhelming amount of criticism.
Microsoft Says Ciao to Online Shopping Search
Microsoft is looking to boost its online shopping search market share. The company has announced an acquisition of Greenfield Online, owners of popular shopping search site Ciao.com. This is the largest purchase Microsoft has made in a while. The company appears to be playing around with the money it had left from the Yahoo deal falling through. They dropped 486 million big ones on this one.
Microsoft to Help Porn Viewers, Hurt Advertisers
With the next version of Internet Explorer, Microsoft is addressing the growing demand of Internet users for more privacy features in their browsers. Mozilla has had the upper hand in this regard, with Firefox giving users a convenient "clear private data" option, but Microsoft’s plans go even beyond anything Mozilla is doing yet.
Prioritize Your Email With Microsoft Plug-In
Tuesday, Microsoft announced a new plug-in for Outlook 2007. Information Week reports on this collaborative effort between Microsoft Research and Office Labs. The plug-in targets email overload and "uses various algorithms to automatically identify the importance or urgency of e-mail messages delivered into an Outlook 2007 in-box." It will allow automatic prioritizing of emails, and allow user to pause email delivery.
Microsoft Patents Key Functionality
Would you believe that Microsoft has just patented the concept utilized by the "page up" and "page down" keys commonly found on computer keyboards? That seems to be the case according to U.S. Patent number 7,415,666.
Yahoo’s Stock Returns To Pre-Microsoft Prices
Way back on January 31st, Yahoo’s stock closed at $19.18 per share. Then Microsoft’s unsolicited acquisition offer nudged things up towards $29. Unfortunately for investors, all that progress has been lost.
Microsoft Looks to Seinfeld for Advertising Edge
Microsoft has been looking for a new angle for its advertising campaigns, and may have found a good one. The company has reached a $10 million deal with comedian Jerry Seinfeld to appear in its next slew of commercials.
Microsoft: Everybody Else is Doing it
Microsoft is tracking your data.But so are Google and Yahoo!, as they are so quick to point out when confronted by the House. A classic example of the "but everybody else is doing it" excuse that they taught us in D.A.R.E. in elementary school. The drug of choice for search giants is not crack or pot though. It is ad-targeting – learning about you so they can fill your screen with advertisements from companies whose profits would be in their own best interest.