TechFlash: Seattle's Technology News

Windows 7 Starter Edition, the edition of the upcoming operating system targeted to small "netbook" computers, will be able to run more than just three applications at a time, Microsoft said today. Previous versions of Starter Edition have imposed a three-application limit.

Bellevue's Motricity has named Jim Ryan -- a former Sprint PCS and AT&T Mobility exec -- to the post of chief strategy and marketing officer.

Scientists from the University of Washington, the Nature Conservancy and the University of Southern Mississippi are introducing a tool called ClimateWizard that lets people track temperature and precipitation changes in their local area, the Seattle Times reports.

Rivals to Microsoft's Internet Explorer are pushing the European Commission to require the company to offer alternative browsers as part of Windows, and to distribute them to existing Windows users via an automatic update, the Wall Street Journal reports.

An interesting report from the Directions on Microsoft research firm explains how Microsoft phases out products.

The Susan G. Komen foundation recently got a boost from Seattle-based Varolli Corp., which donated software to help the cancer research organization drive sign ups for its Race for the Cure on June 7. Using the Varolli technology, race organizers sent personalized voice messages from Mona Locke to more than 10,000 past participants of the race.

President Obama today announced plans to name a new U.S. "cyber czar" to oversee the nation's online security efforts. The news accompanies a new report highlighting problems in the way the government handles online security initiatives.

The government report (PDF) cites Microsoft repeatedly, but not in a bad way. Instead, it refers to testimony and research from the Redmond company to back up its contention that sweeping changes are needed in government coordination.

It's always a little nerve-wracking to learn that your startup company is suddenly in competition with Google. We've seen this before with AdReady, which last fall got word that the search titan was rolling out a new product for self-service display advertising. And so it was yesterday with Google Wave, the new communications organizer which at first glance looked a bit like Gist.

Microsoft hasn't gone into much detail yet about how it will advertise its new Bing search engine -- but apparently the company's new strategy for challenging Google includes a big black truck.

On-stage demos are nice, but the best way to get the attention of geeky reporters at a tech conference is to pull out an early version of your next shiny gadget for a quick sneak preview in the hallway. That, at least, was Steve Ballmer's approach yesterday, as the Microsoft CEO gave Engadget an early look at the Zune HD at the D: All Things Digital Conference in California.

Also see this photo gallery of Ballmer showing off the device. Engadget seemed impressed with what it saw, calling the hardware "surprisingly thin" and the interface "very colorful and pretty snappy."

Mike Nichols

Microsoft's revamp of its search engine under the name Bing gives the company a third online brand -- adding to the original MSN and the relative newcomer Windows Live in its stable of Internet properties. It might seem like a lot, but each has a distinct and important role in Microsoft's online strategy, said the general manager of the company's search team in an interview this afternoon.

That was one of several topics addressed by Microsoft search GM Mike Nichols in the phone conversation from California, where Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer unveiled the revamped search engine this morning. Read on for excerpts from the interview.

With the big E3 video-game convention coming up next week, Microsoft today announced that cumulative worldwide sales of the Xbox 360 have passed 30 million since the video-game console's November 2005 launch.

That's well ahead of the PlayStation 3, which launched a year later and was just under 23 million in cumulative sales as of the end of March, according to Sony's financial reports. However, Nintendo's Wii remains the runaway leader, with more than 50 million in cumulative sales, according to Nintendo's latest data.

Is this one of Woz's legendary practical jokes? If not, Microsoft may have found itself a new pitchman -- and it would be completely unbelievable if it wasn't caught on video. Steve Wozniak, the Apple co-founder, was effusive in his praise for Microsoft's new Bing search engine after seeing a demonstration today at the Wall Street Journal's AllThingsD conference.

"I thought it was one of the most astounding software demos I've ever seen," a bubbly Wozniak tells Yahoo's TechTicker in the video below.

Toward the end, however, Woz appears to have second thoughts about heaping such praise on Bing based on a demo alone. "I'm a big fan now," he says. "Well, I'm a fan until I find out it's no good."

Microsoft will be trying to give the word "Bing" a new meaning, after choosing it as the name for its search engine. In the process, the company will be grappling with lots of existing associations that people have with that word.

For me, it immediately brings to mind Chandler Bing of the "Friends" TV show. For older generations, it's entertainer Bing Crosby. For others, such as Ben Lukoff and Ed Bott, it's Monty Python. In honor of that sentiment, and Microsoft's Bing unveiling, here's a lunchtime video for your enjoyment. Maybe this could be the first "Bing" ad?

Even the dialogue is appropriate to Microsoft's struggles in the Internet search market: "And that's the most expensive machine in the whole hospital!" and "That means your baby is still alive!"

ROBERT SORBO

Ballmer (Robert Sorbo / Microsoft)

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer was enthusiastic -- but also pragmatic -- in an email to employees this morning introducing the company's new "Bing" search engine, which will replace its Live Search site.

Ballmer discussed the company's search strategy, explained the reasons for the Bing name, and encouraged employees to help build the buzz for the new site when it comes out next week. Read on for the full text of the message.

Microsoft, trying to chip away at Google's monumental lead in the Internet search business, this morning confirmed plans to release an overhauled version of its Live Search engine under a new name. As widely expected, it's "Bing."

Talking with analysts and others today about Microsoft's plans to rebrand its Internet search engine, I finally heard a plausible theory about why the company might choose "Bing" as the name. The site could emit a sound effect -- "BING!" -- whenever anyone presses the search button -- thereby solidifying the brand in the minds of consumers and finally putting Microsoft in a position to trump Google.

It's brilliant!

OK, all joking aside, we're keeping an open mind, despite all the grief we've given Microsoft about its search branding. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer is widely expected to unveil the revamped Microsoft Live Search -- including a new name -- at the Wall Street Journal's D: All Things Digital conference Thursday in California. We'll be monitoring events from Seattle and reporting on whatever Microsoft announces.

We knew from our previous reporting that Greenpeace wasn't exactly a fan of Steve Ballmer, but today the environmental group quantified its option, giving him seven out of a possible 100.

That's the score received by the Microsoft CEO in a new Greenpeace report card ranking the top technology executives on their environmental records. The report dings Ballmer for not speaking out on the environment. It also takes the company to task over its emissions reduction targets and political advocacy.

As noted by Joe Tartakoff of PaidContent.org, the timing of the Greenpeace report card is ironic, given Ballmer's high-profile purchase of a Ford Fusion Hybrid yesterday. He previously had been spotted driving a Range Rover, so it's too bad for him that Greenpeace doesn't take into account any improvement in personal driving habits.

Microsoft is rolling out virtualization technologies for telecom operators that use its Mediaroom Internet Protocol TV service -- helping them cut costs by running multiple Mediaroom "virtual servers" on a single piece of hardware. Microsoft says the move, a first for the IPTV industry, can create as much as a sixfold reduction in the amount of server hardware required to run the Mediaroom service.

That's all well and good for the operators -- and for Microsoft, if it causes more of those operators to adopt its offering. The company says it now has the lowest server footprint in the industry. But the big question is, will those cost savings get passed on to IPTV users?

Ford CEO Alan Mulally's personal delivery of a new car to Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer yesterday was a pretty unique event, albeit carefully orchestrated. As a bonus, here's an extended version of our video of Ballmer and Mulally speaking to the media afterward.