• Tuesday, May 22, 5:09 PM In an interview with FierceMobile, Zynga (ZNGA) mobile VP Travis Boatman says his company is focused on maintaining a "freemium" model for its games, while occasionally charging for ad removal and other features. He also suggests Zynga is open to developing for Windows Phone (MSFT, NOK), but doesn't provide any firm commitments. Separately, Zynga has announced a partnership with American Express that allows cardholders to earn Zynga virtual game cash. 1 Comment [Tech]
• Tuesday, May 22, 12:28 PM Apple (AAPL) still has the world's most valuable brand, according to BrandZ's annual study, which estimates its value has risen 19% Y/Y to $182.9B. IBM is believed to have passed Google (GOOG) for the #2 spot thanks to a 15% increase, while McDonald's (MCD) is seen holding steady at #4 in spite of a 17% gain. Also in the top 10: Microsoft (MSFT), Coca-Cola (KO), Marlboro (PM), AT&T (T), Verizon (VZ), and China Mobile (CHL). Comment! [Tech, Consumer]
• Tuesday, May 22, 10:17 AM Microsoft (MSFT) has added facial expression-recognition capabilities to its Kinect motion sensor, courtesy of a software update. The update allows the Kinect to track joints in the upper body, as well as to identify users when sitting. It could prove useful as Microsoft moves forward with its plans to bring the Kinect to PCs. 2 Comments [Tech]
• Monday, May 21, 6:49 PM Microsoft (MSFT) has quietly launched a social networking site called So.cl. Rather than directly competing with Microsoft partner Facebook (FB) a la Google+, So.cl focuses on the sharing of searches and the aggregation/discovery of multimedia content. The launch comes shortly after Microsoft revamped Bing to provide deeper Facebook/Twitter integration. (previous) 2 Comments [Tech]
• Monday, May 21, 5:57 PM Leveraging the patents the companies acquired last year from Nortel, AAPL, MSFT, RIMM, SNE, and ERIC have officially entered the patent-trolling business via the Rockstar Consortium. Funded by the aforementioned companies and owning 4,000 ex-Nortel patents, Rockstar examines tech products for evidence of infringement, and demands licensing fees when it's found. Since Rockstar, unlike its owners, doesn't make anything, it can't be countersued. 2 Comments [Tech]
• Monday, May 21, 10:51 AM Google Chrome (GOOG) has passed Internet Explorer (MSFT) to become the world's most popular browser, according to StatCounter's latest data. Chrome's 32.76% share for the week of May 14-20 puts it above IE's 31.94% and Firefox's 25.47%, and compares with a mere 19.37% in the year-ago period. NetMarketShare's data suggests IE still has a major lead. (previous) 2 Comments [Tech]
• Monday, May 21, 7:53 AM EU Competition Commissioner Joaquin Almunia offers Google (GOOG) the opportunity to suggest remedies that would address the EC's antitrust concerns. If the proposals prove acceptable following a market trial, the EU will drop its investigation, which it started following complaints from Microsoft (MSFT) and several others. 2 Comments [Tech, Consumer]
• Friday, May 18, 6:52 PM As Microsoft (MSFT) and PC OEMs hope the fall release of Windows 8 systems featuring ARM-based (ARMH) processors will give their PC/tablet sales a lift, the OEMs are reportedly struggling to reach tablet price points they consider necessary to compete with the iPad (AAPL) and Kindle Fire (AMZN), due to Microsoft's insistence on a $90-$100 Windows license fee. Concerns also exist about the software compatibility issues facing ARM-based hardware. 20 Comments [Tech]
• Friday, May 18, 5:43 PM The ITC bans the import of Motorola Mobility (MMI, GOOG) Android phones that feature meeting and scheduling software deemed to be violating Microsoft's (MSFT) IP. The ruling comes just weeks after the ITC and a German court declared the Xbox to be violating Motorola's patents. Much like Apple's disputes with Android OEMs, the Microsoft-Motorola war doesn't appear to have any end in sight. 2 Comments [Tech]
• Friday, May 18, 4:28 PM The Business Software Alliance estimates the share of Chinese PCs containing pirated software fell to a record low in 2011, and is down 1500 bps since 2003. Unfortunately, the figure still stands at 77%, well above a global average of 42%, and the Asia-Pac average of 53%. The PC industry's growing reliance on China and other emerging markets has dinged Microsoft's (MSFT) consumer Windows and Office sales, both due to higher piracy and lower license fees. 2 Comments [Tech]
• Friday, May 18, 1:14 PM As Kantar Comtech reports Windows Phone is creating a foothold in the U.S. and Europe, Microsoft's (MSFT) China chief boasts the OS now claims 7% of the Chinese smartphone market, more than the 6% share he assigns to the iPhone. However, Canalys estimated the iPhone had 19% of the Chinese market in Q1, after Apple (AAPL) reported FQ2 Chinese sales tripled Y/Y. Sepeately, Lumia 900 (NOK) backer AT&T (T) predicts Windows 8 will give a lift to Windows Phone sales. 1 Comment [Tech]
• Thursday, May 17, 7:10 PM Nokia's (NOK) Lumia launches have allowed Windows Phone (MSFT) to claim 6% of the German smartphone market and 3%-4% of the U.S., British, French, and Italian markets, reports Kantar Comtech. Meanwhile, Android's (GOOG) share has surged 72% in Spain, 49% in Italy, and 62% in Germany, though its lead relative to the iPhone (AAPL) has narrowed in the U.S. and U.K. Symbian and the BlackBerry (RIMM) continue to bleed share. 7 Comments [Tech]
• Thursday, May 17, 6:10 PM Big U.S. multinationals are holding at least 60% of their cash offshore - ~$588B - with some keeping nearly all of their corporate cash balances in foreign accounts, according to a J.P. Morgan study. Apple (AAPL) had the most at $74B, or 67% of its total cash holdings; as a percentage of total cash, MSFT, CSCO and HPQ held 89% or more of their cash overseas. 19 Comments [U.S. Economy, Tech]
• Thursday, May 17, 11:01 AM Though early Windows 8 reviewers largely praise Microsoft's (MSFT) Metro tablet UI, Matthew Baxter-Reynolds thinks Microsoft has compromised its usability in the name of making it aesthetically pleasing. Foley notes Microsoft's Metro design guidelines limit the amount of information that appears on a display, and also force users to take extra steps to access needed controls. And those guidelines need to be followed for Microsoft to approve a Metro app. 9 Comments [Tech]
• Wednesday, May 16, 5:46 PM With Apple (AAPL) TV set rumors popping up every week, and Google (GOOG) doing whatever it can to make its TV platform a success, the TV industry is about to see a platform war commence that's similar to the mobile industry's fight, argues Forrester. And in that war, Microsoft (MSFT) currently has the pole position thanks to the Xbox and its long list of content deals. Microsoft recently boasted its 40M Xbox Live users spend over half their Xbox time consuming video/music. 2 Comments [Tech]
• Wednesday, May 16, 1:57 PM Google (GOOG) rolls out its Knowledge Graph, a panel that appears on the right side of search results and contains a variety of info relevant to a query. Part of a broader effort to include more semantic info in its results, Google claims its Knowledge Graph database holds info about 500M people, places, and things, culled from dozens of web sources. The move comes as Bing (MSFT) unveils a semantic search overhaul focused on social media content. Comment! [Tech]