Where are John and Todd?

We’ve had a lot of fun on the interim blog, but it’s now time to say goodbye to “Where are John and Todd?” As of today, the answer to that question is … TechFlash. We’re excited to introduce you to the beta version of our new technology news site for the Seattle area, and we [...]

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The tech and financial blogs are abuzz today over Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer’s reported comment that a Microsoft-Yahoo deal would still “make sense economically” for the companies’ shareholders. Ballmer made the remark at a Gartner conference, stirring speculation about the possibility of a new bid.
Silicon Alley Insider: Wake Up People: Ballmer Just Said He’d Still [...]

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Lawyers representing consumers in a suit over Microsoft’s “Windows Vista Capable” marketing program recently proposed distributing the class-action notice via Windows Update — the same mechanism that the company ordinarily uses to automatically send out its security patches. In a new filing in U.S. District Court in Seattle (PDF, 15 pages) the company reacts strongly [...]

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Video games have so far been a rare bright spot in this period of economic gloom, with the industry experiencing 30 percent year-over-year growth through August, according to data from the NPD Group market-research firm. But the real test for the industry will be the upcoming holiday shopping season. It’s not clear how belt-tightening could [...]

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Microsoft seems to be going out of its way to try to counter Apple’s momentum recently, and the Redmond company’s “I’m a PC” advertising counteroffensive isn’t the only evidence. With Apple expected to show new Macs at an event this morning, Microsoft is trying to preempt the news by making the case for Windows PCs, [...]

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Microsoft went to great lengths to explain the Windows Vista name when it was announced in 2005. “Clear, Confident, Connected,” the slogan went. Later, when Vista debuted, it turned out that words such as “cumbersome” and “complicated” would have been more fitting, based on the experiences of early users.
Along with many other words not [...]

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Craig Mundie, Microsoft’s chief research and strategy officer, is on a tour of U.S. universities this week, meeting with faculty and students at Princeton University, New York University, the University of Michigan, UC Berkeley and UC San Diego. One of the technologies he’s showing is a prototype Tablet PC application that mixes online services and [...]

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Microsoft Corp. Chief Executive Steve Ballmer is the subject of a new legal squabble in a lawsuit over the company’s Windows Vista marketing practices.
The Redmond company on Friday filed a motion opposing an effort by plaintiffs’ lawyers to depose Ballmer in the case. In a supporting document filed with the motion (PDF, 3 pages), the [...]

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It might never be as popular as a mint on the pillow, but Microsoft’s Surface tabletop computer is increasingly finding a home as an extra amenity in hotels.
Hotel 1000 in downtown Seattle on Friday became the latest to offer one of the Microsoft machines to its guests. The high-tech hotel worked with Tacoma-based software design [...]

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Small businesses deal with capital crunch: The New York Times reports on how the financial crisis is impacting the ability of small business owners to access capital, noting that “financing options for all stages of the small-business cycle are limited.” The story goes on to mention how small businesses are finding it tougher to receive [...]

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Editor’s note: This is the first in a series of posts previewing features we’re contemplating for our upcoming Seattle tech news site. Standing features such as this will supplement the steady flow of breaking news and other reports that will appear on the site. Feedback welcome.
The idea behind Tech BuzzMeter is to create an index [...]

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It has become something of a tradition for Microsoft executives to reiterate the company’s commitment to its Redmond headquarters when they speak to audiences in the Seattle region. A speech by Steve Ballmer last week to the Bellevue Chamber of Commerce was no exception. But the Microsoft CEO went into quite a bit more detail [...]

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