Microsoft will reportedly name enterprise chief Satya Nadella as CEO
Microsoft still hasn’t announced who will succeed Steve Ballmer as CEO, but Bloomberg News is reporting that the company is on the verge of naming a replacement. Satya Nadella, the current enterprise chief, will reportedly take over the chief executive job; additionally, Microsoft is considering replacing Bill Gates as chairman, according to Bloomberg‘s sources.
If true, the report would end speculation that Microsoft was leaning toward a chief executive with more consumer-facing experience (ex-Nokia chief Stephen Elop and Ford CEO Alan Mulally were once said to be on the short list). Indeed, Nadella has spent his 22 years at Microsoft focused on the company’s core business customers: before taking over the company’s enterprise and cloud business, he ran the servers and tools unit and was vice president of the Microsoft Business Division. While it might be fun to speculate what Microsoft’s future will be if it ends up being led by a seasoned enterprise vet, it’s probably still worth waiting for an official announcement: Bloomberg adds that although Microsoft is preparing to name Nadella as CEO, “the plans aren’t finished.”
Image credit: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Filed under: Microsoft
Source: Bloomberg
New Microsoft app brings recipes and grocery lists to your Windows Phone
The Bing Food & Drink app for Windows 8.1 is handy if you need to look up a recipe on your PC, but what if you’re searching for ingredients at the store? Never fear, as Microsoft has quietly released a beta Windows Phone version of its culinary software. Much like its desktop counterpart, the mobile port will let you both search for great meals and create grocery lists. Microsoft makes full use of its own platform by syncing selections with the desktop app, putting a Live Tile on the home screen and making it easy to share favorites. Lumia-toting amateur chefs will want to grab the app today from the Windows Store.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Microsoft
Via: WPCentral
Source: Windows Phone Store
Bing Rewards launches on mobile, but not for everyone
Now you can earn rewards for using Bing on your mobile device, as long as it’s not a Windows Phone.
Snubbing its own mobile OS once again, Microsoft brought Bing Rewards to iOS and Android devices Wednesday. Already available for desktop, the program helps hold down Microsoft’s 18.2% share of US searches by giving you credits every time you use Bing. You can then redeem credits for gift certificates to the likes of Dominos and Amazon, but not yet on mobile; that and Windows Phone support are “coming soon.”
You earn 1 credit for every 2 searches you complete, up to 10 credits daily. Which means, if you start now you could Bing yourself $1 short of an Applebee’s Chimicheesecake by St. Patty’s Day. To take part, sign up on the mobile site using your Microsoft ID or Facebook login.
Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile, Microsoft
Source: Bing
White Xbox One and an all-digital, less expensive console reportedly coming fall 2014
Microsoft’s white employee-only Xbox One could become a little less exclusive. The snow-colored console is rumored to appear alongside the cartoony shooter Sunset Overdrive this October, and a 1TB version of the hardware might release in November according to a NeoGAF thread that’s been confirmed by The Verge‘s sources. What’s more, Microsoft’s latest console may also see worldwide release this year sans Blu-ray drive for $399. With the annual DICE Summit and Game Developers Conference not far off on the horizon, it might not be long before we see these rumors publicly confirmed. We’ve reached out to Redmond and will update this post if we hear back.
Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment, HD, Microsoft
Via: The Verge
Source: NeoGAF
Android climbed to 79 percent of smartphone market share in 2013, but its growth has slowed
Android may have quickly reached the top of the smartphone world, but there are signs that this red-hot growth is cooling off… if only just. Strategy Analytics estimates that the platform claimed nearly 79 percent of smartphone market share in 2013. While that’s both a record high and a big step up from almost 69 percent in 2012, it also represents Android’s slowest annual growth rate since its birth. As the analysts note, Google is facing an increasingly saturated market; there are only so many more customers it can reach.
Not that things were rosy for other mobile operating systems last year. Apple shipped more phones in 2013, but not enough to avoid a dip to 15.5 percent market share. Windows Phone grew to 3.6 percent share, although its one-point improvement over 2012 wasn’t going to make Apple or Google nervous. And for smaller platforms, 2013 was downright ugly. BlackBerry, Symbian and others fell from a collective 9.1 percent in 2012 to just 2 percent. The smartphone market in 2014 is effectively a three-horse race, and it’s doubtful that the rankings will change any time soon.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Apple, Microsoft, Google
Source: Strategy Analytics
Daily Roundup: flexible 3D-printed material, Lenovo ThinkPad Yoga review and more!
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours — all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Lenovo ThinkPad Yoga review
Lenovo’s latest addition to its Yoga line is the ThinkPad Yoga. Starting at $999, this heavyweight convertible packs a Core i3 processor, 4GB of RAM and a 1,366 x 768 display. Click the link for our review.
New 3D printer creates flexible material
Since acquiring MakerBot, 3D-printing company Stratasys has been hard at work. Its new $330,000 Objet500 Connex3 3D printer claims to be the first with the capability to create objects with multi-colored, flexible materials. Follow the link for more information.
SkyDrive gets ‘OneDrive’ name change
Microsoft reluctantly renamed its cloud storage service to “OneDrive” today after losing a trademark dispute with British satellite TV provider BSkyB last July. Click the link for details.
NSA reportedly scouring apps for user data
Yet another leak from Edward Snowden indicates that the NSA can access user data from apps like Angry Birds. The agency may even be able to unearth more information than the apps alone can provide. Click through for the entire story.
GTA: San Andreas now available for (some) Windows Phones weeks late
Rockstar Games’ promise of an early January launch for Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas on Windows Phone devices may’ve been a bit off — the game just arrived on the Windows Phone store today, as spotted by CNET. The game carries a $7 price tag and works on a handful of WP8 devices (the HTC 8XT and Nokia Lumias 1520, 1320, 822, 820 and 810); it’s got the same touch-based, contextual controls that the iOS and Android versions employ. Should the Caricature Compton of Carl Johnson’s San Andreas entice you, you can snag it right here.
Filed under: Gaming, Software, Mobile, Microsoft, HTC, Nokia
Via: CNET
Source: Windows Phone Store
Microsoft changes SkyDrive’s name to OneDrive
Microsoft had little choice but to relabel its SkyDrive cloud service after losing a trademark dispute with BSkyB, and it’s now ready to make that name switch. The newly rebadged OneDrive is functionally identical for existing SkyDrive users, who can go about business as usual. However, there are also promises that this is more than just a cosmetic change. The curious can register at a preview page to be notified when OneDrive launches with “more” than what they’ve known with SkyDrive. Microsoft isn’t saying exactly what users can expect, but it won’t hurt to sign up.
Filed under: Storage, Internet, Microsoft
Via: The Verge
Source: OneDrive Blog
Microsoft buys Gears of War franchise, new game in development
Microsoft now owns another major franchise tied to its Xbox game consoles: Gears of War. That includes “rights to all existing and future games, entertainment experiences and merchandise,” and it looks like a new game (likely for Xbox One) is already in production at Black Tusk Studios in Canada (Microsoft actually teased that news back at E3 2013 during the company’s press briefing). The franchise’s former director of production, Rod Fergusson, will take on oversight.
The Gears of War franchise was exclusive to the Xbox 360 (and later on PC as well), and Unreal Engine developer Epic Games used the third-person shooter series to show off its engines graphical chops. Beyond being a graphical showcase, however, Gears of War developed a loyal following among online console gamers — last year’s Gears of War: Judgment was the first entry in the franchise co-developed by Epic and Bulletstorm dev People Can Fly, and it was expected to be the final entry in the series.
Beyond a new entry in the massively popular shooter franchise, we expect re-issues (perhaps prettied up re-issues) will happen at some point (a la Tomb Raider‘s “Definitive” Edition). At very least, Gears fans can rest assured that more tales of meaty space marines taking down locust are on the way care of Microsoft.
Filed under: Gaming, Software, HD, Microsoft
Source: Microsoft
Easter egg-filled panorama of Seattle is Microsoft’s latest Photosynth art project
After all the panoramas, street views and 3D flights of fancy through cityscapes, how can Microsoft make the next one different? Apparently, by teaming up with over 100 of Seattle’s local artists and performers to cram this 360-degree panorama full of imaginative easter eggs (like the airship seen above). Dubbed the Gigapixel ArtZoom, Microsoft unveiled it tonight at the Seattle Art Museum but like other Photosynth projects, anyone with a browser can dive in right now. 2,368 twenty-two-megapixel images were shot from the Bay View condominium building and stitched together with Microsoft’s Image Composite Editor software — it’s the same system behind Windows 8.1′s panorama feature and Bing Maps. Click and zoom through the resulting image on a Where’s Waldo-style search for the performers (inserted via separate photoshoots after the original shoot and highlighted with additional info) on its dedicated website here, or check after the break for a behind the scenes look at how it was made.
Filed under: Cameras, Internet, Microsoft
Source: GigaPixel ArtZoom
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