How Consumers Get What They Ask for from Microsoft

Grok Headline matches for How Consumers Get What They Ask for from Microsoft

Microsoft pushes biometrics to consumers

Microsoft pushes biometrics to consumers 09/09/2004 02:00 AM
Silicon Republic Sep 9 2004 5:35AM GMT

Microsoft Launches Tablet PC; Will
Consumers Shrug?

Microsoft Launches Tablet PC; Will
Consumers Shrug? 03/20/2003 01:05 PM
After several years and hundreds of millions of dollars spent on development, Microsoft has launched its Windows XP Tablet PC platform. The company claims Tablet PCs will help revolutionize computing by allowing users to enter and manipulate data with a pen-like stylus.

Microsoft stagnation will lead consumers
to Apple or Walmart?

Microsoft stagnation will lead consumers
to Apple or Walmart? 09/09/2004 09:17 AM

A couple of MIT undergrads were over here at the house yesterday.  These technology connoisseurs said that the stagnation of features available in Windows will drive consumers to buying Macintosh computers, especially laptops.  Apple is apparently on a roll with new OS features including a disconnected and resync-able file system scheduled to ship in 2005 (didn't Carnegie Mellon do this with Andrew File System many years ago?).  I compared their prediction to the high-end audio nerd's belief that CDs would be supplanted by a digital format with superior sound quality.

In the audio market the connoisseurs were mostly wrong.  There are two competing high quality digital music formats, SACD and DVD-A.  Together there are fewer than 1000 titles available in these formats, more than two years after their release, and you can't find these in most record stores.  By contrast the mass market has embraced digital music formats that are lower quality than CD:  MP3, XM Radio, Sirius Radio (the satellite radios put out about 64 Kbits/channel and are noticeably inferior to a regular FM station, even on a fairly cheap set of speakers).

Suppose that Microsoft never adds another feature to Windows?  Not even my personal pet desire, the ability to display and lightly manipulate camera raw format images that come from high quality digital cameras.  Would that drive consumers to buy Macintosh?  Not if the computer market turns out to be like the audio market where people said "CD quality is more than good enough; I just want music that is more convenient and/or cheaper".  People would say "Windows XP Home is good enough but let's get it for as little as possible".  The result will be a $350 laptop at Walmart.  I met a senior Dell engineer recently and he told me that Dell was already producing a laptop on which they could cut the price to $500, without downgrading any components, and still make a profit.  The cheapest Macintosh laptop, by contrast, is $1100.

People who stopped buying CDs now spend their home entertainment budget on fancy digital cable.  If Microsoft's feature stagnation leads to a big drop in the average price of a purchased PC who will pick up the dollars not spent?  My prediction is mobile phone makers and carriers.  I saw a billboard yesterday for a Nextel phone with built-in GPS and voice-prompt navigation.  That seems more useful to most people than whatever OS tweaks Apple and Microsoft might offer to their 1970s-style mouse-windows-keyword systems.

Microsoft: iPod, iTunes limit choice,
harm consumers

Microsoft: iPod, iTunes limit choice,
harm consumers 01/10/2004 03:53 AM
A Microsoft executive said Thursday that the HP and Apple iPod/iTunes agreement would limit choice and harm consumers on the Windows platform...

Microsoft dismisses latest Xbox 2
speculation, consumers unperturbed

Microsoft dismisses latest Xbox 2
speculation, consumers unperturbed 06/23/2004 04:39 AM
CNET Asia Jun 23 2004 8:32AM GMT

Microsoft warns consumers about major
Windows security flaws

Microsoft warns consumers about major
Windows security flaws 02/11/2004 12:00 AM
Canadian Press via Canada.com Feb 11 2004 4:09AM GMT

Microsoft Holiday Support Center Helps
Consumers Maximize Their Use of the
Season's Most Popular Gifts

Microsoft Holiday Support Center Helps
Consumers Maximize Their Use of the
Season's Most Popular Gifts 12/10/2003 07:50 PM
In keeping with the spirit of giving -- and receiving -- the perfect gift, Microsoft is upholding another holiday tradition, the Microsoft Holiday Support Center. Provided to customers for the fifth year, this online support resource -- found at http://support.microsoft.com/holiday -- offers consumers help at no charge if they have questions related to Microsoft consumer products and technologies. A convenient, one-stop portal, the site condenses the top questions likely to come up over the holidays for popular products and provides the resources needed to resolve them.

Microsoft and STMicroelectronics Team to
Enable High-Definition Windows Media 9
Content for Consumers On the Leading
Set-Top Box and DVD Hardware Platforms

Microsoft and STMicroelectronics Team to
Enable High-Definition Windows Media 9
Content for Consumers On the Leading
Set-Top Box and DVD Hardware Platforms 06/08/2004 10:40 AM
STMicroelectronics (NYSE "STM") and Microsoft Corp. today announced that the two companies are working together to develop a series of new integrated circuit components for manufacturers of consumer electronics products. These components will extend the reach of high-quality, secure Windows Media® 9 Series content, in both standard and high definition, to a wide range of popular devices such as set-top boxes and DVD players. Support of Windows Media 9 Series in products such as these means consumers will be able to easily enjoy the high audio and video quality that Windows Media provides.

Don't Let April 1 Be April "Phools" Day:
Federal Trade Commission, National
Consumers League and Microsoft Warn
Internet Users of Phishing Scams

Don't Let April 1 Be April "Phools" Day:
Federal Trade Commission, National
Consumers League and Microsoft Warn
Internet Users of Phishing Scams 03/31/2005 07:01 PM
In sharp contrast to the harmless pranks that will be played on April Fools' Day, deceptive phishing schemes are no laughing matter. To strike a blow against criminals who prey on Internet users, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC), National Consumers League and Microsoft Corp. today urged consumers to beware of phishing schemes aimed at stealing their identities.

We Are All Security Consumers

We Are All Security Consumers 05/04/2004 12:18 PM
Bruce Schneier says:

This essay of mine argues that the correct way to evaluate security countermeasures is as consumers: is the security you're getting worth what you're giving up to get it.

From the essay: The invasion of Iraq, for example, is presented as an important move for national security. It may be true, but it's only half of the argument. Invading Iraq has cost the United States enormously. The monetary bill is more than $100 billion, and the cost is still rising. The cost in American lives is more than 600, and the number is still rising. The cost in world opinion is considerable. There's a question that needs to be addressed: "Was this the best way to spend all of that? As security consumers, did we get the most security we could have for that $100 billion, those lives, and those other things?"

Lin k

Protecting consumers

Protecting consumers 07/21/2004 06:03 PM
USA Today Jul 21 2004 9:49PM GMT

Consumers get new choices, more control

Consumers get new choices, more control 01/02/2005 02:43 AM
Chicagotribune.com - Sat Jan 1, 01:02 pm GMT

$41 Billion Deal, but What's in It for
Consumers?

$41 Billion Deal, but What's in It for
Consumers? 02/17/2004 11:57 PM
The blockbuster merger of Cingular Wireless and AT&T Wireless is expected to reshape the cutthroat mobile phone business.

Websites, passwords, and consumers

Websites, passwords, and consumers 08/19/2004 09:56 AM

Consumers Go Online For Travel

Consumers Go Online For Travel 09/10/2004 07:12 AM
Article.wn.com - Fri Sep 10, 10:46 am GMT

The RIAA went after 477 Consumers today!

The RIAA went after 477 Consumers today! 04/28/2004 07:01 PM
The carnage continues, the RIAA will someday come to the realization that you can sue and litigate all you want...

Good for business, bad for consumers?

Good for business, bad for consumers? 09/13/2004 08:29 PM
CNET Asia Sep 14 2004 0:47AM GMT

Turning consumers into producers

Turning consumers into producers 01/16/2004 11:27 AM
The final scan of my RSS feeds, last night, pulled in an item from Doc Searls who said that he was on live radio at The Linux Show. (Doc's item also mentions the RS S Winterfest Webcast a week from today. I'll be there; the complete list of participants is he re.) When I clicked through to The Linux Show's stream, I heard Doc say some things about the recent Macworld and CES shows that really hit home -- so much so that I wanted to hear them again. I reached for the RealPlayer's slider, but it was unresponsive. Doc wasn't kidding, he really was coming live from that radio show. His announcement of that fact made it from his computer to his blog to my aggregator in time for me to catch the live stream. Just another one of the daily miracles that I can't yet bring myself to take for granted. ...

Consumers of the world, unite!

Consumers of the world, unite! 02/05/2005 09:02 PM
Boycott City. This interesting Askme thread and this informative post inspired me to post this. There are many of the usual suspects here, and boy, do these folks hate Jiffy-Lube< /a>. Also boycott news and personal essays. You can even oppose a boycott, thereby boycotting a boycott. requires registration, but it is free and fun

Markets Shaped by Consumers

Markets Shaped by Consumers 12/03/2003 03:01 AM
businesses commercialize it .. Interesting NYT story

nytimes.com/2003/12/01/technology/01neco.html
track this site | 4 links

Consumers Say Apple Should Share

Consumers Say Apple Should Share 08/23/2004 10:17 AM
The vast majority of consumers are unaware that an Apple iPod digital music player only plasn proprietary iTunes files, while a smaller majority agree that it is within RealNetworks' rights to develop a program that will make its music files compatible with the ipod. Those are among the findings of a new study on consumer perceptions about music download services. By Ross Fadner, MediaPost (via MyAppleMenu)

U.S. consumers eye bundled services

U.S. consumers eye bundled services 04/15/2005 03:29 PM
"Significant minority" of consumers ready to switch to offerings that combine phone, Internet and cable TV services, survey shows.

Unicode for Syndication Consumers

Unicode for Syndication Consumers 04/22/2004 01:32 PM
Torsten Rendelmann: Hey, partitially good news: my local RSS Bandit beat build 109 does not fail anymore on Sam's test feed, if it is compiled with .NET 1.0 Whether that is good news or (or even news at all) is debatable, in any case, this should not be an accidental feature.  If this is to be pursued, here a few more things to think about.

HTTP for syndication consumers

HTTP for syndication consumers 04/09/2004 03:54 PM
It seems to me that there is a real need for a one stop shop for the information necessary to understand the 'how' behind syndicating, archiving and editing episodic web sites.  Specs are good, but they only tend to cover what is not covered by other specifications.  Blogs and mailing lists often provide a much needed missing context for the information, but the discussions found there are often inconclusive and it is virtually impossible to determine if the decisions made have been superseded. Here's a first installment.

BT lures consumers with free Wi-Fi

BT lures consumers with free Wi-Fi 01/07/2004 02:20 PM
The U.K. carrier aims to hook people on its Wi-Fi services with a week of free access, a new pay-as-you-go billing plan and cheaper hot-spot set-up costs for wireless providers.

Bridging Hip-Hop Consumers and Suits

Bridging Hip-Hop Consumers and Suits 09/22/2004 10:28 AM
Music entrepreneur Steve Stoute has emerged as one of Madison Avenue's surest guides to the world of young consumer spending, hip-hop style.

Consumers are hot for LCDs, but are
investors?

Consumers are hot for LCDs, but are
investors? 07/21/2004 07:37 AM
The lowered expectations for LG.Philips LCD's IPO are indicative of the boom-and-bust market for screens.

Consumers go crazy for MP3 players

Consumers go crazy for MP3 players 07/22/2004 06:25 AM
Will buy 10.8m of them this year

Vodafone launches 3G for consumers

Vodafone launches 3G for consumers 05/05/2004 06:45 AM
Computer Weekly May 5 2004 11:07AM GMT

What RFID Can Do for Consumers
(NewsFactor)

What RFID Can Do for Consumers
(NewsFactor) 05/20/2004 03:46 PM
NewsFactor - Wireless tags that can track the arrival and departure of pallets from a manufacturer. Security devices that can alert authorities when a shipment has been tampered with. Cell phones that can read and transmit RFID data, thus stepping up the functionality of mobile sales-force systems.

VOIP Attracting Consumers, IDC Finds

VOIP Attracting Consumers, IDC Finds 04/05/2005 02:25 PM
Voice-over-IP services continue to attract consumers, which will face a glut of offerings as cable providers begin to enter the fray.

eBay Tops for Trust Among Consumers

eBay Tops for Trust Among Consumers 06/11/2004 05:55 PM
Internet.com Jun 11 2004 9:39PM GMT

Comcast-Disney: Consumers lose out

Comcast-Disney: Consumers lose out 02/12/2004 11:18 AM
ZDNet Feb 12 2004 3:24PM GMT

IBM to provide digital lockbox for
consumers

IBM to provide digital lockbox for
consumers 12/03/2003 05:19 AM
IBM is set to announce a software initiative that will allow media companies to protect there data while also allowing...

Will consumers tune in to portable
video?

Will consumers tune in to portable
video? 07/20/2004 08:09 AM
The first portable digital video players are coming to a market that might not be ready.

Consumers want widescreen notebooks -
analyst

Consumers want widescreen notebooks -
analyst 08/03/2004 05:17 AM
The Register Aug 3 2004 9:12AM GMT

Wis. Web Site Links Farmers, Consumers

Wis. Web Site Links Farmers, Consumers 01/06/2004 11:57 AM
AP via Newsday Jan 6 2004 10:35AM ET

Consumers Anxious About Lack of Hiring

Consumers Anxious About Lack of Hiring 09/04/2004 03:40 PM
Reuters via Wired News Sep 4 2004 7:31PM GMT

Consumers Say Prices Gouged After Storm
(AP)

Consumers Say Prices Gouged After Storm
(AP) 08/19/2004 03:58 AM
AP - The oak tree in Ilyse Kusnetz's back yard caused one headache when it crashed into her house during Hurricane Charley. Now the tree is sprouting a second worry: price gouging.
Grok Description matches for How Consumers Get What They Ask for from Microsoft
GrokA matches for How Consumers Get What They Ask for from Microsoft

Voice Command for Your PocketPC

Voice Command for Your PocketPC 04/21/2004 05:09 PM

Microsoft unveils Voice Command
technology

Microsoft unveils Voice Command
technology 11/04/2003 01:19 PM
Computer Weekly Nov 4 2003 11:11AM ET

Microsoft Voice Command for Windows
Mobile

Microsoft Voice Command for Windows
Mobile 01/16/2004 11:02 AM
Voice Command transforms your Pocket PC into your own virtual personal assistant, letting you use your voice to look up contacts and place phone calls, get calendar information, play and control your music, and launch applications. Voice Command makes it easier, safer, and more convenient than ever to take your digital lifestyle with you wherever you go. The state-of-the-art speech technology means you will never have to pre-record important phone numbers or use difficult commands to access the information you need. Simply select one of the many commands that is most natural to you and let Voice Command do the rest. You can even ask "What can I say?" at any time to help find an appropriate command.

Microsoft launches Voice Command
software for Pocket PC

Microsoft launches Voice Command
software for Pocket PC 11/03/2003 02:36 PM
Computer Buyer Nov 3 2003 1:44PM ET

Microsoft Speaks Up: Voice Command Is
Now Available at Retailers Nationwide

Microsoft Speaks Up: Voice Command Is
Now Available at Retailers Nationwide 08/11/2004 11:59 AM
Microsoft Corp.'s popular Voice Command software for Windows Mobile (TM) 2003-based Pocket PC and Pocket PC Phone Edition is now available to consumers at retail outlets nationwide, marking the first time the company is offering stand-alone Pocket PC software on store shelves. With the expanded availability, it's now easier than ever for consumers to experience hands-free voice interaction with their mobile device -- virtually anytime, anywhere.

W3C brings voice-command for the
Internet a step closer

W3C brings voice-command for the
Internet a step closer 09/09/2004 09:07 AM
Mac User Sep 9 2004 11:54AM GMT

Voice Command Allows Pocket PC Devices
to Obey Spoken Commands

Voice Command Allows Pocket PC Devices
to Obey Spoken Commands 11/04/2003 11:39 PM
BrightHand Nov 4 2003 11:26PM ET

"Microsoft Launches Voice
Command" - PCWorld.com

"Microsoft Launches Voice
Command" - PCWorld.com 10/31/2003 04:04 PM

pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,113179,00.asp
track this site | 4 links

Voice Overs For Telephone Greetings,
Interactive Voice Response, Auto
Attendants, On-hold, and Voice Messaging
Systems

Voice Overs For Telephone Greetings,
Interactive Voice Response, Auto
Attendants, On-hold, and Voice Messaging
Systems 12/30/2004 05:20 AM
Voice over talents that specialize in recording telephone applications such as voice messaging, auto attendants, interactive voice response, on-hold messaging, voice broadcasts, and voice greetings can be found at Interactive Voices, meeting the needs of corporate entities and not for profit organizations. Voice over talent are available to record telephone scripts for every day use and for special events, enabling employers to brand their company and service clients with consistent and persuasive marketing. [PRWEB Dec 30, 2004]

BitTorrent is dead. Long live
BitTorrent?

BitTorrent is dead. Long live
BitTorrent? 01/05/2005 01:38 PM
ZDNet Jan 5 2005 5:09PM GMT

Voxeo and Voice Architects Announce
Voice User Interface Design, Analysis
and Tuning Services

Voxeo and Voice Architects Announce
Voice User Interface Design, Analysis
and Tuning Services 09/16/2004 03:12 AM
Voxeo Corporation, the leading standards-based VoiceXML and CCXML IVR platform provider, and Voice Architects, the leading provider of speech interface design, development, and optimization services, announced at the SpeechTEK 2004 conference today a partnership to deliver a suite of valuable Voice User Interface (VUI) services to Voxeo's enterprise IVR customers and Evolution IVR developers. [PRWEB Sep 16, 2004]

SimpleConnect IP Voice Challenges
Incumbents in Enterprise Voice Market

SimpleConnect IP Voice Challenges
Incumbents in Enterprise Voice Market 12/19/2004 03:09 PM
Delivers savings of over 50% with business-class quality [PRWEB Dec 16, 2004]

Create your voice model with Sakrament
Personal Voice Master

Create your voice model with Sakrament
Personal Voice Master 09/15/2004 02:01 AM
Sakrament company announces the release of Sakrament Personal Voice Master (PVM) 2.0. [PRWEB Sep 15, 2004]

iPod Voice Recorders: Griffin iTalk
Takes The Lead In Sound-Quality Race
With Belkin Voice Recorder

iPod Voice Recorders: Griffin iTalk
Takes The Lead In Sound-Quality Race
With Belkin Voice Recorder 08/19/2004 11:52 AM
By Cyrus Farivar, Macworld (via MyAppleMenu)

Voice recognition without the voice

Voice recognition without the voice 05/05/2004 11:19 AM
And now, from the people who gave you the I-mode Internet phone, we bring to you a speech-recognition system so revolutionary that it is, in fact, speechless. NTT DoCoMo Inc. showed the prototype system during a rare tour of its Yokosuka, Japan, R&D center.

No - 911 will not be available on
bittorrent - yet

No - 911 will not be available on
bittorrent - yet 05/27/2004 03:10 AM

The Doc Searls Weblog

Doc makes it very clear.  I just liked this story so much - I ran it anyway - but alas - it's true - it was fake....

Panning for gold in the bitstream 

Brian Dear says Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11," which won the Palme D'Or at Cannes, will be distributed via BitTorrent:

In a stunning move, controversial documentary filmmaker Michael Moore announced today that his latest film, "Fahrenheit 9/11", will be released by BitTorrent, the popular peer-to-peer file-sharing network.

From Brian's Denounce.com.

[Later...] Once again, we need to point out that Denounce is a satire site. Hence the name. Here's the disclaimer, from top right on the index page:

Recognized around the world as the best source for completely fictional news and information.

When you're not looking for a reliable, accurate site for industry news, there's only one place to go: Denounce.

All fake. All the time.

Founded in 1980. Eight years before The Onion. Deal with it.

BitTorrent

BitTorrent 06/09/2004 10:03 PM
The new BitTorrent 3.4.2 for OS X has an all-new GUI that makes it easier to keep track of multiple downloads.

BitTorrent++

BitTorrent++ 06/07/2004 04:32 AM
BT++ Back In Development

BitTorrent 4.0.1

BitTorrent 4.0.1 04/02/2005 12:57 AM
The key to cheap file distribution.

BitTorrent Will Not Go Away

BitTorrent Will Not Go Away 03/17/2005 03:08 AM
There was an article I read in Yahoo News from the Washington Post on BitTorrents. It explains that too many legit uses exist for BitTorrent for the service to be shut down. The MPAA is admitting that there are good and bad uses for BitTorrent and that they will only go after people that are helping users to download illegal movies. It's good to see a mianstream media outlet like the Washington Post understand the real concept and design behind BitTorrents.

This represents a shift from previous practices, in which the MPAA, the Recording Industry Association of America (news - web sites) and other groups have tried to have entire products -- for example, the first Diamond Rio MP3 player or the networked ReplayTV (news - web sites) video recorder -- taken off the market.One reason for this change of heart may be that in BitTorrent, unlike many other file-sharing programs, legitimate use doesn't amount to a token minority. It's central to this program's existence. Developers of versions of the Linux (news - web sites) operating system were some of the first to jump on BitTorrent as a way to ship out vast amounts of data. A Linux distribution can easily span four CD-ROMs; instead, companies such as Red Hat offer BitTorrent downloads of their work.

BitTorrent v4.0.1

BitTorrent v4.0.1 03/25/2005 09:08 PM
BitTorrent is a protocol designed for transferring files. It is peer-to-peer in nature, as users connect to each other directly to send and receive portions of the file. However, there is a central server (called a tracker) which coordinates the action of all such peers. The tracker only manages connections, it does not have any knowledge of the contents of the files being distributed, and therefore a large number of users can be supported with relatively limited tracker bandwidth. [Freeware 3.6 MB]

BitTorrent 4.0.1 for Mac OS X released.

BitTorrent 4.0.1 for Mac OS X released. 04/02/2005 12:48 AM
MacCentral: Bi tTorrent 4.0.1 for Mac OS X released. I've been beta testing this for a while; it's like the old version but even better.

A new hope for BitTorrent?

A new hope for BitTorrent? 01/05/2005 08:14 AM
Unreleased Exeem could make BitTorrent more lawsuit-resistant, but questions remain.

Top Tip: Is BitTorrent dangerous?

Top Tip: Is BitTorrent dangerous? 04/12/2004 02:14 AM
I was intersted in using bittorrent but was afraid it was like Kazzaa and would end up with massive viruses and hackers. Is this true, will this most likly occur?

ABC [Yet Another Bittorrent Client]

ABC [Yet Another Bittorrent Client] 11/06/2003 12:23 PM
ABC [Yet Another Bittorrent Client] Version 2.6 Released!!

BitTorrent t-shirt

BitTorrent t-shirt 06/29/2004 11:31 PM
There's now a BitTorrent t-shirt to complement your Buccaneer-American shirt.

Everything you ever wanted to know about
BitTorrent

Everything you ever wanted to know about
BitTorrent 07/04/2004 06:59 PM

I have used BitTorrent quite a bit and really like it's performance for those big downloads. If you are not up to speed on BitTorrent this Faq is the place to start. [BitTorrent Faq]

BitTorrent 4.0.1 released

BitTorrent 4.0.1 released 03/27/2005 01:37 PM

Net-BitTorrent-LibBTT-0.010

Net-BitTorrent-LibBTT-0.010 06/25/2004 12:39 AM

BitTorrent for Dummies: On its way

BitTorrent for Dummies: On its way 03/19/2005 03:08 AM
My February 26 post pleading for BitTorrent for Dummies bore fruit. First, Travis Smith pointed me to the project, and then Kris Krug emailed me. Kris is one of the authors of the forthcoming book. One way or another, I'm...

How Consumers Get What They Ask for from Microsoft

The following phrases have been identified by the grok system as matching this entry: "voice command" bittorrent