1. Launch Adcenter for websites worldwide ASAP (no beta invite only garbage). Why can’t I sign up for this and add to our websites now? Why is Adcenter still in pilot status? If this isn’t done in Q1-2006, they can pretty much forget about this doing anything unless their pay structure blows away all competitors. Adsense and YPN are gaining market share that MSN loses every day. Also, please make sure Adcenter works in competing browsers! The newest version of Opera says: “Please Upgrade Your Browser” when navigating here.

After months of intense wrangling between the competing Blu-ray and HD-DVD groups, the battle lines in the war over a next-generation high-definition DVD format have moved to the doorstep of Microsoft Corp.

Several industry sources last week told EE Times that Microsoft is muscling into the optical-disk fray by leveraging its operating-system clout to bundle HD-DVD within Vista, the company's next-generation OS. There is also talk that the software giant may be planning to offer cash incentives — in the form "coupons" — to system vendors or retailers if they agree to support HD-DVD. Such coupons would provide "credits" or "memos" for each PC that is sold with HD-DVD inside.

Many consumer electronics companies in the Blu-ray camp are scrambling to figure out, respond to and possibly preempt the next move by the world's largest — and richest — computer software maker. ...

One fact, however, is hard to miss: In the short span of two months, Microsoft has gotten through to Hewlett-Packard Co. HP, which still sits on the board of the Blu-ray Disc Association and previously supported the Blu-ray format exclusively, joined the HD-DVD Forum earlier this month. This semi-reversal came in the wake of a series of meetings with Microsoft, said Maureen Weber, general manager of HP's Personal Storage Business.

1st Prize: Be live at the Launch Event in the USA: the full package with entry, flight and 3 nights in a 4-star Hotel
2nd–4th. Prize: New XBOX 360
5th–10th Prize: XBOX Core System

Nissan North America Inc.(NNA) and Microsoft Corp. have merged automobile design and gaming technology to create the first-ever fully integrated gaming system within a vehicle. Conceived by Nissan Design America Inc. (NDA) and equipped with the Xbox 360™ next-generation video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, the Nissan URGE concept car allows drivers (while parked) to play “Project Gotham Racing® 3” using the car’s own steering wheel, gas pedal and brake pedal while viewing the game on a flip-down seven-inch LCD screen. “PGR® 3” is developed exclusively for Xbox 360 by Bizarre Creations Ltd. for Microsoft Game Studios.

In no particular order, here's our list:

1. IE rises from the dead: After insisting that Internet Explorer was an inextricable part of Windows, Microsoft abruptly changed course and decided to develop and deliver a new standalone version of its browser, after all. Nothing like a little competition to open new doors (and windows).

Ending a partnership that soured long ago, Microsoft and NBC announced yesterday that they would dissolve their joint ownership of the cable news channel MSNBC, with NBC taking control.

But the partners will continue their 50-50 ownership of the MSNBC Web site, which, partly as a consequence of its affiliation with Microsoft, is the most-used news site on the Internet. ...

One looming question is whether the channel's name will be changed, now that MSNBC has no association with Microsoft. The Web site will retain the name.

Ian McAllister, a program manager for Microsoft's MSN division, said in a posting Wednesday that he had a meeting with "some senior players at another Tier 1 Internet company" who expressed interest in helping Microsoft compete with Google.

According to the posting, the company, which McAllister declined to name, spoke with Microsoft about the possibility of finding new ways to team with the Redmond, Wash., company to help advance its search and advertising business.

This year at Microsoft I’ve been fortunate to have had the opportunity to work closely with and learn from a broad set of talented people – particularly Bill & Steve, Jeff & Kevin & Jim & Robbie, Craig & David, Brad & Chris & Kevin, but also SO many others. I’ve learned a tremendous amount in such a short time; this is an incredibly complex and interesting organization, with assets and opportunities that I hadn’t begun to imagine until being inside. I very much look forward to working with them and their teams as we jointly reshape the company and its direction for this next phase of growth.

Rob Short is the corporate vice president in charge of the team that architects the foundation of Windows Vista. This is a fascinating conversation with the kernel architecture team. It's our Christmas present to all of the Niners out there who've stuck with us day after day.

This is a very candid interview. We even ask "do you ever wish the registry had never been developed?" Charles Torre does this "going deep" interview. Out of all the interviews we've done this one is the most interesting because this team has such a deep impact on how reliable, scalable, secure, etc Windows Vista actually will be.

Microsoft, Dr. Lee and Google have reached an agreement that settles their pending litigation. The Parties have entered into a private agreement that resolves all issues to their mutual satisfaction. The terms of the agreement are confidential and all parties have agreed to make no other statements to the media regarding it.

The EU executive said it may fine Microsoft up to 2 million euros ($2.37 million) a day unless it complies with an order to provide interface documentation to allow rivals' group servers to work with the company's ubiquitous Windows operating system.

Microsoft today released the following statement from Brad Smith, General Counsel and Senior Vice President, in response to the adoption of the Statement of Objections by the European Commission:

“We believe today's Statement of Objections is unjustified. The Commission has issued this Statement regarding technical documentation we submitted last week, even though by its own admission neither it nor the Trustee have even read or reviewed these new documents.

“We revised the technical documents last week at the Commission's request, responding to new feedback raised with us only six days before. In the interest of due process, we think it would have been reasonable for the Commission and the Trustee at least to read and review these new documents before criticizing them as being insufficient.

“We are fully committed to comply with the Decision. We've shipped a new version of Windows, we've paid an historic fine, and we've provided unprecedented access to Microsoft technology to promote interoperability with other industry players. In total, we have now responded to more than 100 requests from the Commission. We continue working quickly to meet the Commission's new and changing demands. Yet every time we make a change, we find that the Commission moves the goal post and demands another change.

“Of particular concern is the Commission’s latest demand that the internal workings of Windows be documented and licensed, which can open the door to the production of clones of parts of the Windows operating system. During the September 3, 2004 hearing with President Vesterdorf, the Commission clearly stated this was not within the scope of its decision. Yet the Commission confuses disclosure of the source code with disclosure of the internals and insists that it will fine the company if it fails to address this. ”

Microsoft Corp. plans to ring in the New Year, with a fresh campaign to make its Windows Media Player the dominant way to deliver downloadable content to television sets, personal computers and handheld devices.

And it is bringing in reinforcements.

The software giant next month will roll out a new version of the media player which executives say will change the experience of watching Internet-delivered video. Already, MTV Networks has announced it will roll out its own music download service on this new version of Microsofts player, competing with Apple Computer Inc's iTunes and Real Networks Inc's Rhapsody.

The MIX conference is a 72-hour conversation between web developers, designers and business leaders. When you attend MIX you’ll learn the latest about IE7, Windows Media, Windows Live!, as well as “Atlas”, Microsoft’s new AJAX framework. Register today and take advantage of the low price of $995, as well as the discounted conference hotel rate.

Microsoft has advised Mac users of Internet Explorer (IE) to switch to rival browsers such as Apple's Safari.

The advice came as the software giant formally announced the end of IE for Apple Macs.

Bill Buxton, a highly respected computer scientist and designer specializing in the human aspects of technology, has joined Microsoft Research to work on a variety of projects in its labs around the world. Working as a senior researcher in Microsoft Research will allow Buxton to continue pursuing his strong interest in the use of technology to support creative activities such as design, filmmaking and music. ...

Buxton, who began his career in music, has spent more than 30 years observing how people use technology and applying those insights to the human-computer interaction field. His research specialties include technologies, techniques and theories of input to computers; technology-mediated collaboration between people; and ubiquitous computing. Buxton is widely revered for his creative and sensitive explorations of new user-interface techniques spanning audio, speech, two-handed input, keyboards, menus, lenses, pens, augmented reality, multimedia and more.

In 1995, Buxton received the Canadian Human-Computer Communications Society Achievement Award for his contributions to research in computer graphics and human-computer interaction. He also was selected as the New Media Visionary of the Year at the 2000 Canadian New Media Awards, and the Hollywood Reporter named him one of the 10 most influential innovators in the North American film industry in 2001.

Before joining Microsoft Research, Buxton was principal of his own Toronto-based design and consulting firm as well as chief scientist at Bruce Mau Design Inc. in Toronto. He also is an associate professor in the department of computer science at the University of Toronto. From 1994 through 2002, Buxton served as chief scientist of Alias|Wavefront (now Alias Systems Corp.) and, starting in 1995, of its parent company, SGI Inc.

Time Warner Inc.'s Time magazine named Microsoft Corp. Chairman Bill Gates and his wife, Melinda Gates, and rock star Bono as its `Persons of the Year' for 2005 for their commitment to charity and poverty relief.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is the world's wealthiest charity with about a $29 billion endowment, the magazine said.

Time Warner Inc. is negotiating exclusively with Google Inc. to broaden a lucrative advertising partnership with Time Warner's America Online unit, abruptly ending negotiations early Friday with Microsoft Corp., officials close to the negotiations said.

Google is close to signing a wide-ranging advertising deal with Time Warner's AOL internet division, pushing Microsoft out of the negotiations and dealing a blow to its ambitions to pump up the MSN internet business.

Google plans to pay $1bn (£570m, €840m) for a 5 per cent stake in AOL, giving the group an implied value of $20bn, according to people familiar with the deal. This is about double the value analysts say AOL is valued at in Time Warner's current share price.

More than a year after Microsoft Corp. shipped Windows XP Service Pack 2 as a massive security-centric OS makeover, customer adoption internationally continues to lag at disappointing levels, according to a senior Redmond executive.

Stuart McKee, Microsoft's U.S. National Technology Officer, said the overall install rate of XP SP2 was just shy of 70 percent, but in countries such as Spain and Korea, adoption of the service pack dips into the 50 percent range.

In Japan, Germany and France, the install rate is in the range of 75 percent, McKee said.

UPDATE: CALL YOUR LOCAL BEST BUY! I just called the Staten Island store (my brother planned on camping out) and they explained