U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly issued a ruling this evening extending the expiring terms of Microsoft's U.S. antitrust consent decree until Nov. 12, 2009, two years from the previous expiration date. California, New York and other states had been asking for a five-year extension; Microsoft had argued that none was needed.

Microsoft Corp. will become the new provider of paid search and contextual advertising links on sites run by The Wall Street Journal, the companies announced Tuesday.

Net profit in Microsoft's fiscal second quarter rose to $4.7 billion, or 50 cents per diluted share, from $2.6 billion, or 26 cents per diluted share, in the year-ago period. Revenue rose 30 percent to $16.37 billion.

Analysts, on average, had forecast 46 cents per share on revenue of $15.94 billion, according to Reuters Estimates. ...

Microsoft lifted its outlook for the fiscal year ending in June. It now expects earnings per share to range between $1.85 and $1.88 per share, up from its previous estimate of $1.78 to $1.81. Wall Street, on average, had projected $1.81.

Dataportability.org, the fast-emerging group that wants to make it easier for users to share their personal contacts between different Web 2.0 and social media services, has landed perhaps its biggest fish yet: Microsoft Corp.

Microsoft will officially announce its intention to join the international workgroup dataportability.org within a day or two, according to a source close to the matter.

Microsoft Corp. today announced a renewed commitment over the next five years to Partners in Learning, a program that provides the education community with resources and training to help students reach their full potential. Through Partners in Learning, Microsoft is leveraging the transformative power of software to create innovative educational experiences that remove limitations, create opportunities, and bring students and teachers closer. Since its launch in 2003, Partners in Learning has touched the lives of more than 90 million students, teachers and education policymakers in 101 countries. In the next five years, Microsoft is aiming to triple the impact of Partners in Learning’s three core programs: Innovative Teachers, Innovative Students and Innovative Schools. Partners in Learning is a key education initiative under Microsoft Unlimited Potential, the company’s commitment to creating sustained social and economic opportunity for everyone. ...

Today’s announcement represents a new, five-year, $235.5 million (U.S.) investment, and will bring the company’s total 10-year commitment in Partners in Learning to nearly $500 million. Ensuring that everyone has an opportunity to learn is an enormous challenge that requires participation by both the public and private sectors. Microsoft is deeply committed to collaborating with education partners around the world to provide relevant, high-quality learning experiences, and enable students and teachers to achieve their fullest potential.

Microsoft Corp. today announced the appointment of Todd Peters as corporate vice president of marketing for its Mobile Communications Business. In his new post, Peters will be responsible for driving marketing efforts for Windows Mobile, one of the fastest-growing businesses at Microsoft; Windows Live for mobile; and other mobility brand offerings related to product planning, product management and campaigns, and marketing communications.

Peters most recently was vice president responsible for brand management and all U.S. retail technology marketing for the office supply company Staples Inc. He was behind the development of the Staples “easy” brand concept that was instrumental in driving sales. It was also Peters’ idea to create the Easy Button, which was sold through retail outlets to raise money for charities such as Boys & Girls Clubs of America.

Before joining Staples, Peters spent six years at Intel Corporation, where he was responsible for setting global brand strategy. He developed the brand architecture for the Intel family of processors that helped upgrade the chip manufacturing company’s market image. Before coming to Intel, Peters spent 11 years in advertising agencies, including Hal Riney & Partners advertising in San Francisco, where he led the launch of the nation’s first true PCS offering for Sprint.

Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq “MSFT”) and Citrix Systems Inc. (Nasdaq: CTXS) today announced an expanded alliance to deliver a comprehensive set of virtualization solutions to address the desktop and server virtualization needs of customers. The two companies will work together to deliver and market joint virtualization solutions with Windows Server 2008 to help customers achieve a flexible and dynamic client computing infrastructure.

For more than 18 years, Microsoft and Citrix have offered customers solutions to deliver Windows-based applications using Citrix Presentation Server™ running on Terminal Services. Now the companies plan to co-market new client computing offerings with the next generation of Citrix Presentation Server and the Citrix XenDesktop™ products, both based on Windows Server 2008 and Windows Optimized Desktop solutions, and managed by Microsoft System Center. With these solutions, customers can build an array of flexible, low-cost and manageable client computing options for different types of enterprise users.

Citrix Presentation Server along with Windows Server 2008 enables customers to deliver remote Windows-based applications at a low cost and with high performance for users. The next generation of Citrix Presentation Server will support and extend Windows Server 2008 and will help enable customers to use Windows Server 2008 for the remote Windows application execution workload.

Citrix XenDesktop is a complete desktop virtualization system and, when combined with Windows Server 2008, Windows Vista Enterprise Centralized Desktop and System Center, will help enable customers to deliver Windows-based desktops to virtually all task-based and knowledge-based workers at a low cost, and with high performance and enhanced security features. Citrix XenDesktop, planned for release in second quarter 2008, will support and extend Windows Server 2008 shortly after the availability of Hyper-V, a hypervisor-based virtualization feature available as part of Windows Server 2008. The two companies will work together to co-market both of those solutions — Citrix Presentation Server and Citrix XenDesktop along with Windows Server 2008 and System Center — to help customers meet the full spectrum of their Windows client computing needs. This expanded alliance also marks an initial step toward a longer-term plan to collaborate on future desktop virtualization solutions. ...

Microsoft and Citrix also have extended their alliance for server virtualization to enable IT departments to run heterogeneous hypervisor software. Citrix is developing a capability to enable the portability of virtual machines between the Xen hypervisor in Citrix XenServer™ and Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V. This capability will offer the companies’ joint customers a unified portfolio of virtual infrastructures that utilizes both Hyper-V and the Xen hypervisor under a common System Center management platform. This capability is scheduled to be available for beta evaluation in the second quarter of 2008.

Microsoft and Citrix will offer server virtualization solutions with the combination of Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V, System Center family of products and Citrix XenServer. Citrix will extend support for Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V and Microsoft System Center in all its virtualization products: XenDesktop, Presentation Server and XenServer. As part of this collaboration, a future version of System Center Virtual Machine Manager will support managing Citrix XenServer, and Citrix plans to integrate Hyper-V with Citrix XenServer. This collaboration will enable customers to easily deploy and manage heterogeneous virtualization environments built on both Citrix XenServer and Hyper-V.

Microsoft plans to acquire San Jose-based Calista Technologies Inc. as part of a larger effort to catch up in a growing area of the corporate technology market.

Calista's specialty is making networks run smoothly for virtualized computer desktops -- situations in which the computing takes place on a remote server, but feels to users as if it's happening on a machine sitting next to their keyboard and screen.

Microsoft Corp. today announced the appointment of Tony Scott to the role of chief information officer (CIO) and corporate vice president of Microsoft. Scott, 56, will manage Microsoft’s 4,000-person global information technology organization that manages critical technology systems supporting the company’s worldwide sales, marketing and services efforts, as well as enterprise systems and applications for all corporate processes. Scott will officially assume his new role at Microsoft in February and report to Kevin Turner, Microsoft’s chief operating officer.

A respected industry veteran, Scott brings more than 25 years of experience running global IT operations for leading corporations. Most recently, Scott served as senior vice president and chief information officer of The Walt Disney Co., where he was the first CIO to manage companywide IT. During his time at Disney, Scott led the company through a major transformation, which included improving the reliability and effectiveness of the company’s information systems, shifting focus more toward employee enablement, and upgrading core IT infrastructure including datacenter reliability. Before joining Disney, Scott served as chief technology officer at General Motors Corp. and vice president of operations at Bristol-Meyers Squibb Co.

“Our internal IT systems and operations play a critical role in the success of our business and how we deliver new technologies and advancements to our customers in the marketplace,” Turner said. “We will leverage Tony’s deep experience in running global IT organizations, and his focus will be in three key areas. First, we want to run a world-class IT department, leveraging Tony’s track record and deep knowledge of operational excellence to achieve the highest level of business value by utilizing IT. Second, as Microsoft’s biggest user of our products and solutions, Tony and the IT team will drive our solutions and deployment throughout our enterprise and provide valuable input and feedback to our product groups. In turn, this will ultimately improve our customer satisfaction in the marketplace. Third, we will call upon Tony to connect and collaborate with CIOs around the world to regularly share best practices with our customers and partners.”

“More than any other company, Microsoft knows how important it is to leverage IT for strategic business advantage, and I look forward to building on this success in my new role,” Scott said. “So few places offer the chance to expand your skills and have an impact across such a broad range of technologies — from services to unified communications to mobility. It is a great opportunity, and I am excited to work with this team to help Microsoft advance its business forward through IT.”

Microsoft Corp. and EDGAR Online Inc. today announced a strategic alliance in which the two companies will collaborate to bring relevant advertising to the EDGAR Online audience and content to the MSN portal. EDGAR Online is a premier source of financial information and corporate intelligence and is a leading provider of Extensible Markup Language (XML)- and Extensible Business Reporting Language (XBRL)-tagged data and information. Through the deal, Microsoft will be the exclusive third-party provider of display, contextual and video advertising for EDGAR Online and its global audience of more than 2 million unique visitors per month, and EDGAR Online will provide content, such as Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filing documents, to MSN Money. ...

The content provided by EDGAR Online will include access to all SEC filing documents for publicly traded U.S. companies and will be accessible via the ticker and company search function on the MSN Money Web site. EDGAR Online content will cover all public companies that file information with the SEC and provide access to the complete database of millions of company, fund and individual filers to facilitate company and financial research at summary and in-depth levels. ...

Microsoft is expected to begin serving contextual, display and video ads on the EDGAR Online site in March. Content integration on MSN Money is under way, and a launch is expected later this year.

Microsoft Corp. and Victor Company of Japan Ltd. (JVC) have signed a patent cross-licensing agreement to further the development of each company’s current and future product lines, which will expand technological innovation and enhance the overall customer and consumer experience.

The agreement, recently signed by representatives of both companies, expands the relationship between JVC and Microsoft to promote the exchange of valuable information and the incorporation of patented technologies in their respective products. The agreement covers a broad range of consumer products each company manufactures and sells. Although the contents of the agreement, including the specific financial terms, are confidential, the parties indicated that Microsoft is being compensated by JVC.

“When technological industry leaders collaborate through intellectual property licensing, we foster greater innovation that will benefit the customer, the consumer and the overall IT ecosystem,” said Horacio Gutierrez, vice president of intellectual property and licensing at Microsoft. “We are proud of the quality of our broad, global patent portfolio, and we look forward to continuing to work with JVC and other industry leaders to develop new and exciting technologies through our collaborative licensing program.”

Recently, Microsoft’s patent portfolio was given the top quality rating in the IT industry by two of the leading independent patent quality rating systems.

Shares in Swiss-based computer peripherals maker Logitech International SA rose as much as 12 percent on Thursday based on speculation Microsoft Corp would launch a takeover bid, traders said.

Analysts dismissed rumors of an $8 billion takeover bid as unlikely and Logitech board member Daniel Borel, the company's largest shareholder, said he had no reason to sell his 6 percent stake. He declined to comment on the speculation.

Microsoft Corp. today announced that, effective September 2008, Jeff Raikes, president of the Microsoft Business Division (MBD), will retire from the company following a nine-month transition to ensure a smooth transfer of his daily responsibilities and management of the division.

The company also announced that Stephen Elop, formerly chief operating officer (COO) at Juniper Networks Inc., has been hired as president of the Microsoft Business Division. Elop will start at Microsoft at the end of January and assume responsibility for the Information Worker, Microsoft Business Solutions and Unified Communications businesses — all previously led by Raikes. Bob Muglia, senior vice president of the Server and Tools Business, will move to report directly to Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer and continue managing the Server and Tools Business. Between now and his retirement, Raikes will continue to serve as a member of the company’s senior leadership team responsible for developing and guiding Microsoft’s core business strategy.

Microsoft Corp. said Bruce Jaffe, who heads its acquisitions, is leaving as the largest software maker gives individual unit leaders more control over deals.

Jaffe, a vice president and 12-year Microsoft veteran, will leave Feb. 29, spokesman Bill Cox said today in an interview. He declined to comment on Jaffe's plans. Jaffe, 43, didn't return a call or e-mail.

Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq “MSFT”) today announced that it will make an offer to acquire Fast Search & Transfer ASA (OSE: “FAST”), a leading provider of enterprise search solutions, through a cash tender offer for 19.00 Norwegian kroner (NOK) per share. This offer represents a 42 percent premium to the closing share price on Jan. 4, 2008 (the last trading day prior to this announcement), and values the fully diluted equity of FAST at 6.6 billion NOK (or approximately $1.2 billion U.S.). FAST’s board of directors has unanimously recommended that its shareholders accept the offer. In addition, shareholders representing in aggregate 37 percent of the outstanding shares, including FAST’s two largest institutional shareholders, Orkla ASA and Hermes Focus Asset Management Europe, have irrevocably undertaken to accept the offer. The transaction is expected to be completed in the second quarter of calendar year 2008. ...

About FAST

FAST, which was founded in 1997, creates the real-time search and business intelligence solutions that are behind the scenes at the world’s best-known companies with the most demanding information challenges. FAST’s flexible and scalable integrated technology platform and personalized portal connects users, regardless of medium, to the relevant information they need.

FAST is headquartered in Norway and is publicly traded under the ticker symbol ‘FAST’ on the Oslo Stock Exchange. The FAST Group operates globally with presence in Europe, the United States, Asia, Australia, the Americas, and the Middle East. For further information about FAST, please visit http://www.fast.no/.

During Sunday’s keynote address at the 2008 International CES, Robbie Bach, president of the Entertainment & Devices Division at Microsoft Corp., announced that premier consumer electronics manufacturer Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. will include Extender for Windows Media Center technology in its Home Digital Media Adapter (DMA) arriving this year for compatible Samsung HDTVs. In addition, HP is launching a new Extender device for Windows Media Center, the HP MediaSmart Receiver x280N, designed to work with any high-definition television.

Extenders for Windows Media Center allow viewers to enjoy digital entertainment, including live and recorded HDTV, Internet TV, music, movies and photos, from their PC running Windows Vista Home Premium or Windows Vista Ultimate on any TV in the house through wired or wireless home networks.

The Samsung Home DMA features playback of files including Windows Media Video, Windows Media Audio, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, H.264, MP3, AC3 and JPEG. The compact device can be easily mounted to the rear of select Samsung flat-panel HDTVs for a clutter-free home theater setup. Users can view content through the DMA using either the TV remote or an included remote control. The Extender connects to a PC using an Ethernet cable or 802.11a, b, g or n wireless module (sold separately).

Microsoft also announced Extender product availability and ship dates from initial partners D-Link Corp.; Linksys, a division of Cisco; and Niveus Media Inc. These devices allow people to extend their entertainment experience from their Windows Vista-based PC with Windows Media Center to any TV in the house.

Today at the 2008 International CES, Microsoft Corp. announced the availability of the newest version of the MSN Direct service, an update of its location-based service for personal navigation devices. MSN Direct will now provide increased functionality that enables customers to integrate their device with Live Search Maps, as well as receive enhanced location-specific information.

Microsoft also announced it is expanding its footprint in the navigation market by working for the first time with a host of manufacturers including Alpine Electronics Inc., dmedia System Co. Ltd., Goodyear, Pioneer Electronics Inc. and StreetDeck. Garmin Ltd., MSN Direct’s original navigation partner, also announced that it will expand its MSN Direct-enabled product line in 2008. In addition, Avis Rent a Car System LLC announced that MSN Direct-enabled devices from Garmin will be available to its national fleet of rental cars this spring.

“In this past year we have seen a tremendous response to the MSN Direct service from many top leaders in the navigation industry — ranging from personal navigation device-makers and in-car system manufacturers to the top brands in the rental car field,” said Eric Lang, general manager of the MSN Direct initiative at Microsoft. “This strong interest is indicative of the always-on, timely information that customers are craving while they are on the go. We know the types of information that consumers want, and we are pleased to provide a way for our partners to continue to innovate their existing product lines and bring added value through MSN Direct.”

MSN Direct Equips Consumers With Location-Specific Information on the Go

With this latest version of MSN Direct, a new Send to GPS functionality enables customers to select and save destinations using Live Search Maps and send to personal navigation devices enabled with the latest version of the service. Customers can receive information on stock prices, local events, news headlines and weather. The service also provides enhanced movie details, gas prices and expanded traffic information for the U.S. and Canada. Specifically, MSN Direct has added traffic information for the Canadian cities of Toronto, Vancouver, British Columbia, and Montreal; expanded coverage in Fort Pierce, Fla.; Olympia, Wash.; and Fort Collins, Colo.; and will soon enhance coverage in Kansas City, Mo.; and Boston and Cape Cod, Mass.*

Microsoft Showcases New Products From Alpine, Garmin and StreetDeck

Alpine Electronics’ new, portable PND-K3msn provides fast, accurate and easy-to-use navigation guidance for the U.S. and Canada and will be available in spring 2008 for an estimated retail price of $650 (U.S).** As a device enabled with the latest version of MSN Direct, it is equipped with instant up-to-date information, including current stock prices, information on local events, news headlines, and enhanced movie details and showtimes, in addition to traffic information, gas prices and weather.

The Garmin® nüvi® 780 and Garmin nüvi 880 with MSN Direct will be released in spring 2008, and will be available for $799.99 (U.S.)** and $999.99**. Both devices include the MSN Direct receiver out of the box. Also new to Garmin’s lineup, the Garmin nüvi 5000 is MSN Direct-enabled and the receiver is sold separately. The Garmin nüvi 5000 will be available for $799.99 (U.S.)** in the spring. With the new Send to GPS functionality, customers can select and save destinations using Live Search Maps and then access the information on their MSN Direct-enabled personal navigation devices. These new devices intelligently route drivers based on the latest traffic conditions while conveniently displaying information on the latest news, local events, weather, gas prices, movies and more. ...

StreetDeck announced plans to integrate a touch-screen interface with MSN Direct in a new Ultra Mobile PC (UMPC) as an aftermarket, MSN Direct-enabled navigation unit. Designed to reduce driver distraction and leverage the power and convenience of UMPC, the touch-screen interface allows for simple navigation and access to information through MSN Direct.

Navigation Manufacturers Announce Plans for MSN Direct

• Avis announced that it will be the first car rental company to offer MSN Direct-enabled navigation devices. Beginning in March, Avis customers can rent Where2™, a portable GPS navigation device based on Garmin’s nüvi 780. The device receives relevant and timely traffic and weather information, news headlines, stock prices, Amber Alerts and movie listings via MSN Direct, ideal for helping make business travel more productive and leisure travel more convenient.

• dmedia announced the MSN Direct-enabled G4 product line, which will introduce a new level of service to an expanding line of portable navigation devices. These new models are expected to be available in spring 2008, combining all the MSN Direct content with the latest technology from dmedia.

• Pioneer announced it plans to release the AVIC-F500BT, a hybrid navigation technology that brings the power of an in-dash device with the convenience of a portable system, with MSN Direct. Designed to integrate with virtually any factory audio system, the AVIC-F500BT will provide the opportunity for consumers to add superior navigation features and extended entertainment capabilities without modification of their existing car stereo.

• Goodyear announced plans to include the MSN Direct service as built in with two of its new personal navigation devices and enabled through a charger with two additional models.