Would Steven Sinofsky be able to take the reigns from Steve Ballmer to become the head of Microsoft? He’s a great project manager and a very good technical person, but I’m not sure if he would have the CEO capability. Great guy, very smart, but does he have the business background that could make or break Microsoft? I’m not so sure.

Critics say he lacks the necessary charisma for the top job, and question whether he has the technical brilliance of Gates or the incisive analytical ability and forceful personality of Ballmer.

Windows 8 seems to be a huge deal for Microsoft. They have “reimagined” the role of the desktop and are implementing a new user interface, Metro UI. But, are they really betting the whole company on Windows 8? Is the PC ecosystem really dying in favor of tablets and touchscreen computers? I seriously doubt it. Sure, there will be some people that use their PC for light web browsing, low powered games, email, Facebook, YouTube, etc. that would benefit more from a portable, touchscreen device. But, for those that work in offices, take notes, go to school and do a lot of typing, or those of us in IT, we NEED a desktop computer. It doesn’t matter if it’s a Mac, Linux, Windows or whatever. It needs to be much higher powered than a tablet, it has to have a larger screen, a full physical keyboard, more storage, etc.. There are many other reasons to own a full PC (gaming, development, etc.), but from a day to day normal person, there are reasons to not ditch the PC for a tablet.

Do I think they are betting everything on Windows 8? No. They are putting a lot of resources and confidence in a drastic UI change (among many other enhancements) that may or may not pan out. However, it isn’t the first time they’ve done something like this, nor is it a huge surprise. Several years ago, there were so many people complaining that Windows UI is still based on the 17 year old Windows 95. Sure it is. It was very easy to use, simple. But, now that the PC ecosystem has changed, there are new technologies to use, they have to adapt to these new technologies. To NOT change the UI to take advantage of these would be the biggest gamble. Windows Mobile (while I was a fan of the OS, it wasn’t a very good touchscreen OS – it was Windows OS on a mobile device) to Windows Phone 7 was a gamble that worked excellent. It became a shunned and crappy phone OS to a new very easy to use touchscreen OS.

If Windows 8 is a flop, however, it will increase the pressure on Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer. His 12-year reign has been marred by the company’s troubles adapting to an Internet-driven upheaval. As Microsoft has stumbled, faster-innovating companies such as Apple and Google have elbowed their way into a position to steer the direction of computing for the next decade or two.

Skype for Windows Phone 7 has finally hit beta, and is expected to be released in full in April. It’s about time, and it should be a great application for the Windows Phone devices.

Has it already been 10 years since the launch of the Xbox? Yes, it has. 10 years since the original Xbox has been released, Microsoft is releasing a new 10th anniversary edition of the Xbox 360 with some extra goodies packed in.

According to the Amazon French website, the bundle will include the new Slim style console, 250 GB HDD, Halo Anniversary, Halo Reach, Gears of Wars 2, Fable 3, 2 wireless controllers and a 3 month subscription card to Xbox Live.

Price is 280 Euro, which is around $377 US dollars. Available on March 9th, 2012.

Windows 8 is going to a more simple naming system, with naming conventions dropping the Live and Zune titles. Windows Live Mail will now be a very simple “Mail”. Others are as equally as simple and if people have difficulty in understanding what they do, then they need to step away from the keyboard.

Microsoft’s Xbox team is handling the creation and management of the Metro style Video and Music applications within Windows 8, and we previously heard that Windows 8 will move to "Xbox Live for Windows" as the entertainment brand for Windows 8 Music, Video and Games shortly before its release. The debranding of Zune has already taken effect in the final Windows 8 Consumer Preview, but the full transition away from Zune will take place over the summer. The move away from Zune is part of a broad effort to simplify and consolidate the company’s brands into a simple consumer message alongside Microsoft SkyDrive and Microsoft Hotmail. The branding will look like this in Windows 8:

• Microsoft Account (Windows Live ID)
• Mail (Windows Live Mail)
• Calendar (Windows Live Calendar)
• People (Windows Live Contacts)
• Photos (Windows Live Photo Gallery)
• Music (Zune Music Player)
• Video (Zune Video Player)

I found this article fairly redundant as to what everyone else has been saying. The one thing that got me thinking was the last one: “A willingness to still be a PC, and be open”. A lot of people say that Windows is a very closed operating system. This is true to a point, but applications are install them as you find them – no permission from Nanny to install them. Apple has the Apple Store to give permission to those that want to develop for their very closed operating system environment. It may make for a less secure OS, but it will keep the freedom of choice in the hands of the consumer, rather than in the big man himself. There are a lot of “questionable” applications available for Windows that I’m sure wouldn’t be allowed to be distributed through normal channels or app stores.

I do have one thing to add. I’m waiting, and hoping, that a new “jailbreak” or rooting mechanism is implemented very soon after (or before, as usually is the case) the release of the OS. I really don’t like being at the mercy of someone else’s ideas and beliefs on what is best and appropriate for me. I can name several network tools I use in my different job duties for legitimate reasons that would be considered “unethical” by some. It all depends in the application of said tools. There are a lot of tools that can be used for malice or for nice. It depends on the user. Let the user decide, not the nanny.

What do you think? Would you trade your freedom of applications for a more secure operating system?

From what we’ve heard so far, Microsoft is going to take an Apple approach to Windows 8 apps buy controlling all app distribution for Metro-style apps. This makes for a very safe app ecosystem, but also one without freedom of choice. What will this do to services like Steam, which sell games? There are many good reasons to have a secure system for purchasing apps, but shouldn’t we be able to purchase software from multiple vendors? What if Microsoft decides that it doesn’t want to sell a particular app? Shouldn’t there be the possibility that the software could be obtained from other services? Why can’t Amazon sell apps? I guarantee they’d have lower prices and nice deals. There must be a smart way to integrate third-party app distribution into Windows 8, and every other mobile OS.

Apparently, NDA doesn’t mean what it used to mean. Office 15 has been showing up in several places, along with screenshots and a lot of information. It looks nice, and a return to simple times. Some compare it with as an Apple-esc style of UI. There are a few things in there that bug me, but not enough to make a stink about it. Very minor things.

Microsoft’s next-generation Office suite recently reached the Technical Preview stage, allowing third parties to test Microsoft’s pre-beta code. The software giant released early copies of Office 15 to a number of businesses, partners and OEMs in January ahead of a public beta this summer. Thanks to a source with access to the Technical Preview, we’ve been able to get a closer look at Microsoft’s plans for its next Office suite.

This is a case of “You’re damned if you do, damned if you don’t”. Either Microsoft includes Windows Defender security suite with Windows to help make Windows a more secure operating system, or they don’t and get complaints that Windows is an insecure OS. But, if they go the secure route, many security vendors will be crying foul that Microsoft is trying to push their products instead of a third party security application.

Some advice: if you want others to buy your product, perhaps you should try making a quality product that goes above and beyond what is already included within the base product. There are a lot of aftermarket products available for vehicles, yet you don’t see Ford getting nailed for including a stock muffler on a Focus. If they think they can build a better product, go for it. If not, try building aftermarket accessories for a different product. It is Microsoft’s operating system, they should not be forced to “dumb it down” so that other programmers can make things for it. It just doesn’t make sense, really. Competition? I don’t see them creating their own OS, or creating high quality security products for Linux or OSX (don’t say they are superior in security – if Microsoft makes it more secure, they get sued for anti-competitive practice. The circle of life in Microsoft.). If Microsoft can make a more secure OS, let them do it. If the other security vendors can’t adapt to it, they lose. Anti-competitive lawsuits shouldn’t inhibit a product so to cater to them.

So, to be clear: Microsoft cannot make a better product so that others can come in and make up that slack to make it a better product? Hmmm… Kinda stifles innovation, doesn’t it?

Elaborating, he cited section 47 of Singapore’s Competition Act that prohibits any conduct which is an abuse of a dominant position in any market in the country. A three-part test is then applied to determine if the law has been infringed. These include determining the relevant market, whether the company has a dominant position in the relevant market, and whether it has abused that dominant position, he stated.

If this  Fujitsu roadmap (translated to English) is correct, Windows 8 is headed for a quarter 4 launch date. This pretty much coincides with our thoughts and what has been rumored for some time now. I’m glad to see that Windows 8 tablets are a big focus with this launch, from Fujitsu and other companies.

Image courtesy of Notebook Italia

This is really cool. A new way to interact with Windows Media Center: Kinect for Media Center. While I won’t be using this, as I already have a Kinect for the Xbox 360 and having an additional one on the wall for the HTPC would seem a little overboard and redundant, it is a great new way to utilize your new Kinect for Windows. There still needs to be a lot more applications for the Windows version of the Kinect to make it a successful accessory to your PC. It’s a good start, though!

Kinect for Media Center is an application that interacts with my Media Center Remote Command Listener to control a Media Center computer using Hand Gestures and Voice Commands, utilizing the Kinect for Windows hardware.  The Hand Gestures and Voice Commands control the Media Center interface, as well as any add-ins running inside Media Center.  This includes popular add-ins such as Netflix, MyMovies, Media Browser, and Heatwave.