Infosys Technologies Ltd. (Nasdaq “INFY”), a world leader in consulting and information technology (IT) services, today announced several strategic efforts directed toward deepening services delivered to Microsoft Corp., including a new dedicated vendor offshore facility (VOF) and a Microsoft Dynamics Concept Center.

As a strategic partner of Microsoft, Infosys has a multidimensional relationship with the company. Infosys has established the new 400-seat capacity VOF to facilitate and highlight its expertise in working on Microsoft programs and industry-leading solutions. It is completely compliant with Microsoft’s rigorous security and privacy standards.

In addition, Infosys has developed a Microsoft Dynamics Concept Center that is designed to showcase Infosys employees’ thought leadership around Microsoft technologies and accelerate deployment of solutions developed around the Microsoft Dynamics line of business solutions to clients. ...

Since 1998, Infosys has provided a broad range of services from consulting to development to support for Microsoft. The companies’ collaboration has resulted in measurable enhancements to productivity, customer and partner experience, and operational efficiencies across Microsoft’s businesses while enabling Infosys to refine its industry service offerings for high-tech companies. Examples of joint projects include:

• Architecting and deploying a business intelligence (BI) platform built on next-generation Microsoft BI technologies for Microsoft to analyze and provide important feedback on customer interactions to product teams.

• Supporting Microsoft’s focus on customer experience by architecting and deploying a download Web site, reducing the time from product release-to-market to availability of downloads to less than 10 days from six to eight weeks. Within the first two weeks of launch, more than 30,000 Microsoft customers accessed the download solution and new capabilities.

• Establishing a Test Center of Excellence focused exclusively on quality assurance of IT solutions for Microsoft to manage its customer and partner relationships.

• Building a talent management platform for Microsoft to deliver development and retention programs to its more than 70,000 employees.

Earlier this month, Microsoft lost its appeal of a $140 million patent verdict over the product activation process in Windows and Office. Today, the company that holds the patents and brought the original suit, z4 Technologies Inc., sued Microsoft again.

The software giant is gearing up for a major ad push to highlight how its suite of free online software connects to its Windows operating system over the Internet. ...

The company was hoping to keep the ad assignment under wraps while it auditions ad agencies to handle creative duties on the $300 million piece of business, according to sources familiar with the pitch.

"We will add 1,000 engineers," Zhang Yaqin, the company's chairman in the mainland, told reporters on the sidelines of a conference. "There will be researchers, but most will be involved with product," he said, without elaborating.

A federal appeals court has rejected Go Computer's antitrust suit against Microsoft, which alleged that Go was unfairly forced out of business more than a decade ago by the much larger company.

To the delight of gamers and science-fiction (sci-fi) fans alike, the wait is finally over as “Mass Effect,” an award-winning action role-playing game (RPG) described by Game Informer Magazine as “One of the greatest science fiction stories ever told,” hits retail shelves today, with a continued rollout to retailers worldwide planned.

Developed by BioWare, the creators of the critically acclaimed “Star Wars®: Knights of the Old Republic™” and “Jade Empire™,” comes an epic space saga exclusively for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system that spans the entire galaxy. “Mass Effect” combines a deep story with intense, sci-fi tactical combat. Through high-definition graphics and an amazingly realistic and innovative conversation system that allows for lifelike interaction with the voices of scores of digital actors such as of Seth Green, Marina Sirtis and Lance Henriksen, “Mass Effect” provides an immersive gameplay experience never seen before in a video game.

Published by Microsoft Games Studios, “Mass Effect” is an epic sci-fi action RPG that places gamers at the center of a conflict that will decide the fate of the universe. Assuming the role of an elite human Spectre agent, Commander Shepard, players are entrusted with keeping galactic law and order and are charged with uncovering a terrifying truth. Faced with morally challenging decisions that will affect the future of all races, players must travel across an expansive universe to stop a threat so great it could destroy all life in the galaxy. With its exciting blend of rich story lines, intense squad-based combat and crisp high-definition gameplay, “Mass Effect” is destined to be one of the most gripping game experiences ever.

Nintendo's Wii was back on top in U.S. video-game console unit sales last month, according to statistics released by the NPD Group last week, selling 519,000 units, compared with 366,000 Microsoft Xbox 360s and 121,000 Sony PlayStation 3s. In summary for the media, Microsoft touted its results in areas including Xbox 360-related revenue (hardware and software sales). That was $354 million, compared with $246 million for Wii and $116 million for PS3, the company said. Halo 3 was the industry's top-selling title for the month, NPD said.

Microsoft Corp. today announced the appointment of Robert Youngjohns to the role of president, North America Sales & Marketing, and corporate vice president of Microsoft. Youngjohns, 56, will manage an 8,500-person sales force, a major contributor to Microsoft’s revenue, which totaled more than $51 billion in fiscal year 2007. Youngjohns will officially assume his new role at Microsoft on Dec. 3.

A respected business technology leader, Youngjohns brings more than 30 years of experience in sales, marketing and strategic business development. Most recently, Youngjohns served as president and chief executive officer of Callidus Software Inc., a publicly traded company and a leading provider of sales performance management software based in San Jose, Calif. Before joining Callidus, Youngjohns spent 10 years at Sun Microsystems Inc. in a series of leadership positions, including executive vice president of Global Sales. Youngjohns also spent 18 years in various roles at IBM Corp.

Acacia Research Corp. has won notoriety for its legal pursuit of giants like Microsoft Corp. and Apple Inc., as the small firm's business model depends on extracting patent licensing deals from these companies -- often by threatening litigation.

But on Thursday, in a Texas courtroom, the first of Acacia's many lawsuits to reach as far as a jury trial resulted in a legal setback.

In addition to finding that Microsoft did not infringe on an Acacia patent related to technology used to quickly power up computers, the jury decision delivered Thursday in federal court in Lufkin, Texas, invalidated the patent itself.

St. Joseph Health System has selected Azyxxi, the Microsoft unified health enterprise platform, making it the largest community-based hospital network, and the first on the West Coast, to adopt the platform to date. The multihospital health system joins the ranks of other prestigious organizations that have chosen Azyxxi to improve organizationwide access to clinical and patient data using existing IT investments.

Microsoft Corp.’s Azyxxi offers a new way to capture, store and present information, enabling healthcare systems to unlock data sitting in clinical, financial and administrative silos across organizations. As a result, caregivers can spend less time looking for information and more time providing high-quality care to patients.

Accessible on computers, tablet PCs and handheld devices, Azyxxi provides real-time responses to clinical, administrative and research-specific questions. Equipped with decision-support tools, the platform can also help physicians determine the best treatment options. Dr. Clyde Wesp, chief medical information officer for California-based St. Joseph Health System, views Azyxxi as one of the primary pillars in the hospital network’s initiative to leverage technological advancements to improve the quality of patient care. “Azyxxi is an indispensable tool that will take our existing systems to the next level and keep St. Joseph Health System on the forefront of information technology, delivering the best possible care to the communities we serve,” Wesp said. “With Azyxxi, all our physicians — those in the hospitals, community-based and in group practices — will have virtually instant access to a patient’s health information, thereby increasing connectivity between providers and improving care for patients.”

Initial installation of Azyxxi will begin early in 2008 and take place across all 14 acute-care hospitals, three home-health agencies and multiple physician groups throughout St. Joseph’s three regions — Northern California, Southern California, and West Texas and Eastern New Mexico. A more robust installation of Azyxxi will take place at two hospitals, with a full rollout across the health system by the end of 2009.

Comcast Corp. (Nasdaq: CMCSK, CMCSA), the nation’s leading provider of cable, entertainment and communications products and services, and Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT), the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions, have launched a new Internet-based communications product for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), giving SMBs access to services that have traditionally only been available to larger companies with IT staffs. Comcast’s SMB customers will be the first in the country to receive Microsoft Communication Services from Comcast, which will provide them with corporate-class e-mail, calendaring and document sharing. This product is Internet-based, so SMBs do not need additional server capacity, and is backed by 24x7 Business Class customer support from Comcast, which will serve as an SMB’s “help desk.”

Comcast is the only major U.S. Internet service provider to make this product available at no additional cost with its broadband services. Microsoft Communication Services lets small-business owners focus on running their businesses rather than worrying about IT issues by doing the following:

• Enabling SMB teams to share documents and access calendars, track tasks, and use e-mail efficiently and effectively through corporate-class productivity and collaboration solutions based on Microsoft Exchange Server 2007, Microsoft Office Outlook 2007 and Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services 3.0

• Removing barriers of up-front costs, help desk support and ongoing system maintenance, which often prevent SMBs from experiencing the benefits of corporate-grade IT services

• Extending the boundaries of the “office” to anywhere there is Internet access

• Improving communication by letting SMBs extend access to these collaboration tools, such as document sharing, to important business partners or suppliers

• Providing full integration with Comcast’s network and around-the-clock support

Microsoft Communication Services is the first major product to be launched in conjunction with Comcast’s introduction of high-speed Internet, phone and video services for small businesses across the country. Comcast is providing SMBs with the first real alternative to the local phone company for these services.

Microsoft Corp. today announced that the Mobile Memory Mouse 8000 was named a CES Innovations 2008 Design and Engineering Awards honoree. Products entered in this prestigious program are judged by a pre-eminent panel of independent industrial designers, engineers and members of the trade press to honor outstanding design and engineering in cutting-edge consumer electronics products. The Mobile Memory Mouse 8000 will be on display at the 2008 International CES trade show to be held in Las Vegas, Jan. 7–10.

The Microsoft Mobile Memory Mouse 8000 is the industry’s first rechargeable notebook mouse with 1 GB of Flash memory built into the transceiver. Designed to free up USB ports, the single transceiver is a three-in-one supertool that lets users simultaneously work wirelessly, save important files with 1 GB of storage and recharge the mouse without deficiency in performance, all through one USB port. And because the Mobile Memory Mouse 8000 works while recharging, users don’t have to interrupt their work to charge the mouse.

This comfortable right-handed mouse also features 2.4GHz wireless technology designed to provide a confident connection even in crowded wireless environments. It also has a selectable Bluetooth mode, enabling Bluetooth PC users to connect the mouse directly to their computer. The sleek design features a metal top-case and glossy black surfaces for a high-end look and feel. Computing on the go has never been more productive, with the Mobile Memory Mouse 8000 freeing up USB ports and delivering all the tools consumers need to get the job done in one elegant, compact device.

Microsoft Corp. and Kyocera Mita Corp. have signed a patent cross-licensing agreement to allow access to each company’s respective patent portfolio. The agreement encompasses a broad range of patents and will help further each company’s research and development (R&D) efforts.

Through this agreement, Kyocera Mita will gain access to Microsoft’s patents for Kyocera Mita’s current and future product lines, including multifunction products (MFPs), printers, copiers and certain Linux-based embedded devices. Microsoft will gain access to Kyocera Mita patents for Microsoft’s current and future product lines, including Microsoft Windows, Microsoft Office and other IT product lines. The terms of the agreement are not being disclosed.

The new international headquarters for Microsoft Research, Building 99, opened today. It is the first of seven new buildings on Microsoft Corp.’s West Campus. The company’s Entertainment and Devices Division will occupy four of the seven new buildings, part of the 1.4 million square feet of West Campus currently under construction. Planned for completion in April 2009, West Campus will feature a central campus commons, offering employees convenient amenities such as a post office, a mini-spa, a bookstore and 12 food venues. ...

Microsoft also announced that it has doubled its space investments to expand its Redmond campus beyond what the company announced in early 2006. At that time, Microsoft unveiled a plan to execute roughly half of its 15- to 20-year development with the City of Redmond by 2009.

Updates to the plan now include an additional 21 leased sites in Bellevue, Wash.; Issaquah, Wash.; Redmond; and Seattle, which will provide a combined total of 5.5 million square feet and the capacity to house approximately 19,000 people based on the current conceptual layout. Microsoft’s original plan called for seven new buildings, seven building acquisitions and two new leases to provide a combined total of 3.1 million square feet.

Microsoft also announced that site planning is currently under way for two new buildings on the former Safeco Corp. headquarters site it acquired in 2006. The company will also begin site planning for the addition of new buildings on the land it acquired from Nintendo of America Inc. earlier this year. Both of these projects are outside the three-year expansion Microsoft began in February 2006. Construction start and end dates for both sites have not yet been set.

Microsoft Corp. today announced it has entered into an exclusivity agreement around its intention to acquire Musiwave SA, an Openwave company and a leading provider of mobile music entertainment services to operators and media companies. The acquisition would bring Musiwave’s relationships with music labels, device makers and mobile operators that deliver digital entertainment to consumers, together with Microsoft’s Connected Entertainment technologies and services, including Windows Mobile, Zune, MSN and Windows Live. Should the transaction proceed, Musiwave would continue to operate out of its current headquarters in Paris. ...

Today, Microsoft mobile technology runs on a variety of mobile platforms, featured on more than 140 mobile phones made by 50 handset-makers, sold by more than 160 mobile operators around the world.

Demand for Mobile Music Services Drives Innovation

Today, the mobile music device market is growing at a rapid rate. According to technology research firm Ovum, 1,106 million mobile music phones will be shipped worldwide in 2010. Mobile operators are continually looking for ways to deliver digital entertainment to their customers, and have looked to companies such as Musiwave to deliver music services that help provide the necessary infrastructure. As a provider of white-label music solutions to mobile operators in Europe, Musiwave has helped to bring a rich selection of millions of ringtones, full-track downloads and music videos to consumers.

Musiwave also has a rich history of working with a wide variety of device-makers, across a diverse group of software platforms that produce music and data-capable mobile devices. Today, software developed by Musiwave can be found on most handsets available in Europe.