That news came out of the blue but appears to have been correctly predicted by some people only a few weeks ago.

However, perhaps more surprising was the news that broke yesterday in which the world’s biggest PC maker plans to sell off its PC business. I was quite shocked by this news from HP and just as shocked when minutes later it was announced that the company was planning to kill its webOS products (the phones and the tablets). HP is adamant that they are reviewing other way keep webOS alive, this will be achieved through licensing the OS but which hardware company is really going to want to sell webOS devices after two companies have both had a go and both failed.

So how exactly does Microsoft win from these two big pieces of news?

Well from Google’s news Microsoft stands to benefit because it is now the only major tech company with a serious mobile operating system that doesn’t also make hardware. This means that the companies hardware partners are likely to be more inclined to use Windows Phone than they are Android. This comes about because HTC, Samsung et al get Android from Google who they soon also be competing with in hardware sales. It’s also likely that Google will treat its own hardware preferentially to its partners, again making its hardware partners less inclined to use Android.

This all bodes well for Microsoft. Of course there could be troubles for Microsoft because of this news, Google could create some very impressive hardware that works exceptionally well with Android. However, most people think Microsoft stand to gain more from this than they will lose.

Then there’s the news from HP, Microsoft can gain here too. It’s likely there will now be one less mobile operating system to compete with, Microsoft can focus more so on attacking Android and iOS rather than defending market share from webOS. Also webOS is not likely to appear on PCs now so any threat webOS appearing on PCs has pretty much disappeared overnight which Redmond must be very happy about.

Equally HP planning to sell off its PC business could benefit Microsoft. Whoever buys the business will need to work hard at it to make the PC more desirable than it currently is. This might mean some interesting innovation that could perhaps see Windows PCs finally being able to compete the build quality of Apple’s PCs.

And yet there could be some serious negative effects for Microsoft in the recent news. The fact that Microsoft has a wide ranging partnership with Nokia means that some of the companies OEMs might not be that inclined to back Windows Phone as Nokia will be getting preferential treatment (there’s actually no reason why other OEMs couldn’t enter into a strategic partnership with Microsoft for Windows Phone).

This could mean that OEMs investigate other mobile OSs that they could use without having to compete with Google itself of Microsoft preferred partner, Nokia. Samsung have Bada which they could focus more on and webOS could well be licensable now which might be equally available to all hardware companies, surely an interesting proposition for many device makers.

There’s also the possibility that whomever buys HP’s PC business might not be so inclined to sell Windows PCs. In all likelihood the PC business of HP will continue to make Windows PCs whomever acquires it, but it could pose a problem. What if Google was interested in the business unit to make ChromeBooks and ChromeDesktops? What if Google only bought the business for the patents? They clearly aren’t afraid to buy a hardware company nor keep their own hardware partners happy. If Google did buy HP’s PC business they wouldn’t want to sell many Windows PCs.

I have seen a lot of speculation about both these two pieces of news and I doubt the rumours and speculation will die away soon, these pieces of news will have far reaching consequences for the tech world for a long time yet. Some interesting speculation I saw was that Microsoft should buy HTC, an interesting thought but one I think unlikely Microsoft would ever do, it really isn’t a hardware company. But to add to that idea I wondered what would happen if Microsoft also bought HP’s PC business. That would certainly stir up the tech world. After all what exactly is Microsoft going to do with its stockpiles of cash?

What are your thoughts on this week’s news?

A few weeks latter Google noticed that when searching the exact same words in Bing some of words now returned exactly the same search listing as the fake one Google had used to show Bing was copying them. Surely this proves that Bing is copying Google, right? That is what I thought on first reading the article but since reading more about it I know understand what was going on and it doesn’t look like Bing were actually copying Google.

The Suggested Sites feature of IE8 and the Bing Bar both state in their EULA that Microsoft will monitor what users click and use that information to help improve Microsoft’s search properties. So when the Google engineers which used these products click on sites for the specific word information was sent to Microsoft that when someone searches for “torsoraphy” they then click on several sites. These sites happened to be the honey trap sites.

This technique will work any site on the internet and is not specific to Google nor aimed to copy Google’s results. Any site that a user accesses with Suggested Sites turned on and/or the Bing Bar installed will be reported to Microsoft that users are clicking on certain pages. Obviously then this can signal to Microsoft which sites are popular to make sure that they are included in its search listings. For what its worth Bing actually only listed results for 7 to 9 (depending on how Google did the experiment) of the 100 words Google set up fake listings for.

I really don’t see what Microsoft have done wrong here, all they do is collect data about users’ habits and behaviour online to ensure that Bing is providing the best results for its users. That is exactly what I want a search engine to do.

This tracking is achieved mostly through the Bing Bar, a toolbar. Funnily enough Google also have a toolbar with a similar purpose, however they have said that this does not look at Bing’s listings, but then why should it. Google is the market leader, it would be odd if they were checking Bing’s results when apparently Google’s are better.

Since this story was broken there has been quite a war of words between Google and Microsoft through blogs, Twitter and most excitingly on stage at the Farsight event. Microsoft have since accused Google of profiting from the spam on the internet and so aren’t interested in reducing the amount of spam within search listings. I expect to see more fighting today between the companies and its employees.

Would Google be bothered if this was a small search engine doing this? No. So I find it encouraging that Google is increasingly concerned about Bing, competition is always good.

I might not like Google but I did respect them however following this seemingly petty PR stunt I have less respect for them. The timing of this announcement is questionable as well as making such a fuss over what Microsoft is doing. I really don’t think Bing were cloning Google’s answers but just monitoring what its users were doing online and so happened to see the Google employees clicking on a few sites when searching for a specific few words. People have said that this is actually a clever move by Microsoft as it means people who search with Bing not only get results from Bing’s algorithms but also the best results as found across the web on other search engines.

I think it’s worth noting, as @Clubdirthill pointed out, that “pretty much every Google feature added over the last year and a half has been copied from Bing. "Stealing" goes both ways, it seems.”

I don’t think this argument is going to go anywhere quickly and I think we will hear a lot more about this “cheating”, or cloning.

Please correct me if you think I have misunderstood something. Also thank you to Yoda for the title.

Steve Jobs announced Bing is going to be on the devices saying “we’re adding a third option, which is Bing! Google will stay the default, but now you have another choice, if you like. Each one takes a unique approach to how they search and format results. You decide. Microsoft has done a really nice job on this, it’s an HTML5 presentation, it’s great.” That is praise indeed coming from Jobs.

An interesting tweet has come to my attention from @Ryan, technology critic who most recently co-founded gdgt, who said.

I don’t see Bing being the default as it would contradict what Jobs said but you never know and seeing how Apple seems to really dislike Google now it might just be possible.

I think this is great news for everyone involved and it will be interesting to see how Microsoft compete with Google on the mobile device.

The sister sites are to be name MyAppleLife and MyGoogleLife and I have already started blogging on them, go check them out.

Over the coming weeks you can expect me to scale back the amount of time I spend on MyMicrosoftLife with ultimately me stopping blogging within the next few months. I hope you will continue to follow my blogging in the future.

The news comes via nma.co.uk who state said

The ads, created by agency JWT, will run for three months and use the strapline ‘Bing and decide’. They aim to show that Bing simplifies the “information overload” that accompanies the results of many searches.

[…]

The TV campaign will run regularly for a month and then in two-week bursts until mid-June. It will be backed by a digital campaign across Microsoft’s network and on media including social networks.

The Guardian are reporting that Bing in the UK has only 3% of the market whereas Google has 90% which explains why Ashley Highfield, managing director and vice-president of consumer and online at Microsoft UK, said "this is a big moment – we are taking out our slingshots and taking on Goliath".

I will be interested to see the ads although not having a TV myself will probably mean I have to watch them through YouTube (the irony) and hope that Bing can increase their share over the next three months.

By the way, if you are interested in showing your support for Bing wherever you are you can always add the Bing Twibbon to your avatar on Twitter or Facebook.

Heh, Google are complaining about MS helping others in EU anti-trust case; Google were happy to help Opera in EU browser bundling case.

I am not a fan of the EC which seems to think it is the be-all-and-end-all of international policing of any giant company with lots of money (Microsoft, Intel and now Google) but I also dislike the fact Google is moaning about Microsoft with regards the investigation. I don’t know what Google expect to happen when they seem to be overlooking people’s privacy and could well be using their search engine weight to stop some likely competitors from appearing high up in the search listing.

Had it not been for @RobMargel, who tweeted to remind me, I might have forgotten that Google “do no evil”. It will be interesting to see what the EC make of their initial Google investigation.

Initial look of Buzz with a “buzz” which users can “like”, email and comment on.

When wanting to add a new “buzz” the input box expands just like another social network.

As expected this is what it looks like when wanting to see all the comments about a “buzz”.

If you want to follow more people.

Update: When people start following you the below box pops up before any “buzzes” are listed.

And I have noticed that the first “Buzz” to be shown is not the latest “Buzz” to have been posted but the one with the most recent comment, surely that is a very untidy way of showing the most recent updates, especially when it adds a message i the Gmail inbox.

What has amazed me though is how people are predicting the end for Windows Mobile because of the likes of the iPhone, Android, webOS and Blackberries. The iPhone was launched in 2007, Android 2008 and webOS in 2009, what’s wrong with Microsoft lauching their mobile OS in 2010. Yes Microsoft will be leaving it late but won’t be completely off the mark.

I grant you that the current version of Windows Mobile could well be the one which is the least friendly to consumers, however many other mobile OSs are still adding features which Windows Mobile has had for a long time.

With Windows Mobile 7 Microsoft will have to offer all the functionality, and more, of Windows Mobile (6.5), which will probably mean it will offer more functionality than any other OS on the market. This will be one of the better features of Windows Mobile 7 where it shouldn’t need to play catch-up with its competitors as it should be building on what functionality Windows Mobile already offers.

Microsoft already have a very healthy relationship with many device manufactures and as far as I can it sounds like Microsoft is tightening the constraints on those companies to ensure updates are provided quicker.

If Microsoft are clever they will integrate all their services and products deep within Windows Mobile 7 such as Windows Live, Zune and Office to raise awareness, bring great user experience to mobiles and stop various teams of Microsoft from competing with each other(such as Media Center, Media Player and Zune). Microsoft certainly wont be fined for bundling applications or services when Apple and Google are doing it far more prolifically.

Now to the backend of Windows Mobile 7, I can’t see Microsoft keeping the current set up and just tweaking it because too many people have complaints with it and its needs and overhaul. The problem for Microsoft, and its customers, is that it means they will need to build up a brand new library of applications and I doubt old applications will be able to run in the new mobile OS. In some ways this will be good as a lot of Windows Mobile apps are very ugly. Microsoft will also look at making it very easy for developers to write a program for a vast array of devices.

Now on to how Microsoft will handle applications, Apple is often criticised for its application approval system and I’ve heard some people having complaints with Android’s deployment of applications on various devices. If Microsoft can get the Marketplace, developer ecosystem and the coding for Windows Mobile 7 correct they could well be on to a winner.

Finally the UI of Windows Mobile 7 will probably be the make or break aspect of the OS, Microsoft have to get it right. However I have less concerns with this than several other aspects of the OS. With Windows 7, the Zune software and Zune HD Microsoft showed in 2009 they can create great interfaces and interfaces for software and hardware which I hope will carry on in 2010 with more than just Windows Mobile 7.

Unfortunately there is just nothing known about Windows Mobile 7 but these are just my ideas on what Microsoft needs to do and I hope that Windows Mobile 7 is very competitive when it comes out. We should be hearing all about it next month at the Mobile World Congress and I am really looking forward to it.

Just bear in mind that if Google, on their first attempt at an operating system, can make a mobile OS which competes with the iPhone, in a little over a year, then there is certainly hope for Windows Mobile yet.

Increasingly HTC are partnering with Google after making the first phone to run Android, the G1, and more recently manufacturing the Google Nexus One. It is also rumoured that HTC and Google are working to make a tablet device that could rival the rumoured iSlate and possibly the Microsoft Courier.

Now here is the scary thought, what if Google bought HTC. For Microsoft this would be horrendous, I know I wouldn’t even consider a Windows Phone without HTC making such great devices. Google could cripple Windows Mobile relatively easily by buying HTC and in doing so give themselves a prime way to design and manufacture their own phones, tablets and netbooks; all of which they believe are the way forward in computing.

The problem here is that Microsoft would not buy HTC as if they did they would lose their other phone manufacturing partners such as LG and then would have to take on a more Apple-like approach to the mobile market, not something that fits well with the Microsoft ethos. Where as Google are already trying to provide their own branded phone and still keep partners within the industry, maybe a tactic Microsoft will try if the gamble pays off.

I don’t think a single company can provide the best hardware for two very different, very competitive companies without something be sacrificed. With Google working very hard on its mobile OS and Microsoft planning to release Windows Mobile 7 by the end of the year I wouldn’t be surprised to see an increasing importance of HTC in the mobile world and some hostile action between Microsoft and Google.

2010: The Year Of Touch

We all know that Microsoft added Windows Touch to Windows 7 to bring touch computing mainstream and it will be this year that we start to see the benefits of Microsoft having added support for touch interface. Increasingly there will be more all-in-one-desktops, notebooks, netbooks and monitors that are touch enabled and because of this more developers will look to add innovative ways to use touch which will increase sales and complete the cycle.

Then, of course, there is the ever present rumour of the Apple tablet, or iSlate, which will bring touch interface to the very front of the consumers’ attention. It seems that some companies are planning to combat the rumour of the iSlate before anything is confirmed with rumours of a Google/HTC partnership for a Chrome OS tablet. It remains to be seen if there will be anything new to touch control added by Apple or if it will just be a large iPhone.

Talking of phones there will be an increasing number of touch only smart phones coming from the likes of HTC and Sony. There will probably be some interesting apps appearing for Android and I hope for Windows Mobile. Although no one seems interested in writing apps for Windows Mobile 6.X maybe 7 will inspire developers to create some, much needed, useful apps for the platform.

Microsoft may have another trick up its sleeve with the Courier concept that I hope will come in to fruition sometime this year and then there is the plan to bring the Microsoft Surface to our homes, not something I expect to see soon but maybe some aspects of the interface will work its way into new platforms.

However by the end of the year we may have already gone beyond touch and have entered the realm of touch-less control when Microsoft release their Project Natal which, to begin with, will only be for Xbox but I would hope an expansion of the technologies involved.

2010: The Year Of The Cloud

I know one of the most popular buzzwords for 2009 was the Cloud but I think 2010 will be the year it really comes to the masses. Microsoft will be launching its Windows Azure platform properly in February followed by Office 2010 and the Office Web Apps which will see Microsoft embrace the Cloud like it has never done before. I am also expecting Windows Live Wave 4 to contain much more Cloud based content with new services, improved storage and ways to access programs online. It is also possible that Windows Mobile 7 will be more cloud orientated, we know there plans to be a high level of social networking incorporated with the mobile OS.

Apple will be looking to take more services to the Cloud or face being left behind as Google forces all tech companies to focus more on the internet. With regards to Google we will see the first browser OS which really can’t be any more Cloud focussed and I expect many more Cloud services and greater integration of those services with its Mobile OS.

2010: The Year Of The Ribbon

Windows 7 uses it in its standard applications, we know that Office 2010 will be featuring it in all the applications and from the leaked screenshots it appears that Windows Live Wave 4 will use the Ribbon interface.

It seems to me that Microsoft are finally beginning to agree to use a more coherent design approach to their applications where the Ribbon interface is used in content creation applications such as Paint, Word and Movie Marker. Those three suits of applications will be the most used from Microsoft and it will be great to have the Ribbon mainstream but I would hope that work on the next versions of Visual Studio and Expression Studio.

Another type of application Microsoft is content browsers such as the Zune Software which seems to be the inspiration for the unreleased version of Windows Live Messenger which could also be described as a content browser. Microsoft seem very keen on the linear interface for their entertainment devices, Zune HD and Xbox, and I would expect that any new entertainment devices would follow a similar approach.

Lets hope Microsoft can continue the good design and interfaces of 2009 in their new products of 2010 and that other software developers will use the Ribbon interface and create new and exciting interfaces.

I have many questions and hopes about what we will see this year and I am looking forward to playing with the new applications and devices that will come out over the year, maybe some of which we will see as early as next week at CES.