Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) opened at $27.25. So far today, the stock has hit a low of $26.81 and a high of $27.34. MSFT is now trading at $26.83, down $.30 (-1.11%). Over the last 52 weeks the stock has ranged from a low of $23.65 to a high of $29.46. The stock is lower today ahead of the company’s earnings report after market close this afternoon. Analysts expect EPS of 0.68 on revenue of 17.25 billion. Microsoft is also in the news today for reportedly working with private equity firm Silver Lake Partners on a deal to acquire Yahoo (YHOO). Technical indicators for the stock are bullish and S&P gives MSFT a positive 4 STARS (out of 5) buy ranking. If you are looking for a hedged play on MSFT the stock seems like it could be a candidate for a January out-of-the-money bear-call credit spread above the 30 range.

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I came across this video a while ago and thought that it is pretty creative. The short youtube video shows the creativeness and the long anticipated Windows Phone 7 update – Mango which is scheduled to be somewhere in mid Sept to end Sept.

Below is the video :

Application launching performance comparing Mango beta vs NoDo on WP7

In our test, we put the two WP7 phone side by side. The LG Optimus 7 is loaded with Mango beta while the HTC Trophy 7 is with NoDo.

We launch the game from XBOX Live and time how long before the music starts. The mango beta loaded phone took 14 secs, 2 secs faster than the HTC Trophy 7 with NoDo.

We quit the application from both phones and tested it again. This time round, we found something unusual, the HTC Trophy 7 loads up faster than the LG Optimus 7.

Does that mean that Mango only speeds up loading for the first launch and is slower in subsequent launches?

On the other hand, phone boot up time for LG Optimus 7 with the Mango beta is way ahead of the HTC trophy 7 with NoDo by at least 4 – 5 secs. Check out the video below.

http://en.ocworkbench.com/feature/lg-optimus-7-with-mango-beta-updated-differences-from-nodo/

http://en.ocworkbench.com/mobile-news/application-launching-performance-comparing-mango-beta-vs-nodo-on-wp7/

http://en.ocworkbench.com/mobile-news/how-to-install-windows-phone-7-mango-beta-update-on-any-wp7-phone/

In our last news update, we posted the instructions for readers to test out the update on their WP7. We spent the early hours (2 hrs) going through the 2 step process which took us 2 hours to get Mango beta onto the LG Optimus 7.

In the following video, we present you the interface of the Mango beta which should be almost final unless last minutes cosmetic changes. We also a few other things. The mango beta allows Chinese text input using pinyin and handwriting method. In addition, the back arrow key seems to be able to go back to the previous application which we “swap” out – well some sort of task swapping handling.

We tested it with Angry Birds but it didn’t keep the gaming state. Looks like applications might have to be modified to take advantage of this upcoming feature in Mango.

Thirdly, the XBOX Live interface is beautified but functions remains the same as on Nodo. Powering off also involve sliding down the screen before you can power down the phone. Boot up time is shorter and application also launch slightly faster than before.

Do comment and let us know what is your experience with the Mango.

http://en.ocworkbench.com/feature/lg-optimus-7-with-mango-beta-updated-differences-from-nodo/

http://en.ocworkbench.com/mobile-news/application-launching-performance-comparing-mango-beta-vs-nodo-on-wp7/

http://en.ocworkbench.com/mobile-news/how-to-install-windows-phone-7-mango-beta-update-on-any-wp7-phone/

Microsoft pushed out an update to the Zune desktop player, indicating that an update could be on it’s way to WP7 phones.

The version number in the Zune About screen doesn’t change, staying at 4.7.1404.0, so it would appear this does nothing but allow Windows Phone 7 updates. What is visible if you poke around deep enough is ZuneWmdu.dll and ZuneWmduResources.dll are updated and those two files are known to be necessary for the WP7 update process.

Would this update also indicate a support for upcoming Nokia phones (if they marry Microsoft to run WP7 ?)

Microsoft Corp. released a new version of its Internet Explorer Web browser today, aiming to stem market-share losses to Firefox, Google Inc.’s Chrome and Apple Inc.’s Safari.

Hardware-accelerated text, video, and graphics

The new graphic capabilities and improved performance in Internet Explorer 9 set the stage for immersive and rich experiences. Hardware-accelerated text, video, and graphics mean your websites perform like the programs that are installed on your computer. High-definition videos are smooth, graphics are clear and responsive, colors are true, and websites are interactive like never before. With sub-system enhancements like Chakra, the new JavaScript engine, websites and applications load faster and are more responsive. Combine Internet Explorer 9 with the powerful graphics capabilities that Windows 7 has to offer, and you’ll get the best web experience on Windows yet. See it in action at beautyoftheweb.com.

The shorter, streamlined installation of Internet Explorer 9 is faster than previous versions. It requires fewer decisions on your part, takes less time to load pages, and doesn’t require that you install updates separately. Once it’s installed, you’re ready to start browsing.

Other features include new tab page, notification bar, pinned sites, tab enhancements, web focused browsing and Windows 8 integration.

Microsoft Communicator Mobile for Nokia Debuts

                                            First deliverable from Microsoft and Nokia alliance aims to simplify mobile collaboration 

SINGAPORE, 5 May 2010 – Today, Microsoft and Nokia launched the first application from their alliance around mobile productivity, Microsoft Communicator Mobile for Nokia devices. This new unified communications client connects directly with a company’s communications systems to streamline mobile collaboration. Owners of a number of Symbian based Nokia Eseries smartphones can download the English version today from Nokia’s Ovi Store, the easiest place to get content on their Nokia device.

“Our alliance with Nokia aims to bring the Office productivity experience to the millions of people using Nokia smartphones around the world,” says Kirt Debique, General Manager at Microsoft. “With the arrival of Communicator Mobile for Nokia today, we have a great start to fulfilling our joint vision.” 

Communicator Mobile enables people to see their colleagues’ availability, and click to communicate with them using the best method, from IM to email, text to phone call. The names and status of colleagues are embedded directly into the devices’ contacts application, enabling people to update their own presence, start and join instant messaging sessions, and begin calls directly from the contact card.

“This application really provides a much more efficient way to work with others as you can see if someone is busy or available, and the best way to start a conversation with them,” says Ukko Lappalainen, Vice President at Nokia. “It also meets all of the requirements for enterprise: cost effective to implement, secure, familiar and reliable.”

The launch is the first product from the alliance – announced last August – which was the first time either company had embarked on an agreement of this scope and nature. Since then, the two companies have been collaborating on the design and development of new solutions, as well as embarking on joint marketing efforts around others they already share.

“As part of our push to constantly enhance our unified communications proposition, we are keen to extend the collaborative benefits of Microsoft Communicator Mobile to Nokia devices,” says Scott Petty, Director at Vodafone Group Business Services. “Communicator Mobile offers great potential for our large corporate customer base who have already deployed Communicator for desktop and now are looking to extend that existing infrastructure to mobile.”

“We trial all potential offerings ourselves and have been very happy with the internal response and productivity increase we have experienced using Microsoft Communicator Mobile,” says Roger Wüthrich-Hasenböhler, Executive Vice President at Swisscom / Webcall. “Having these two companies work together is really helping us serve the needs of our customers.”

This new application, available initially for Nokia E72 and Nokia E52, adds to the work Nokia is already doing in optimizing direct access to email and other personal information with Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync. The companies plan to deliver Communicator Mobile for Nokia pre-installed on select Nokia smartphones in the future and plan to support additional devices, including the recently announced Nokia E5.

Microsoft Singapore is excited to share that Office 2010, SharePoint 2010, Visio 2010 and Project 2010 were released to manufacturing (RTM) on 17 April, Saturday.   RTM is the final engineering milestone before launch and a major achievement for all of the internal teams who worked hard to bring the 2010 set of products to customers around the world.
 
Since the public beta in November, more than 7 million people worldwide have downloaded products from the 2010 suite.  Their feedback, and the feedback of more than 5,000 corporate customers and partners, has helped to make it the premier productivity suite across the PC, mobile phone, and Web browser.
 
Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft Corporation, will be in Singapore on 26 May for the business launch of the 2010 set of products including Office 2010, SharePoint 2010, Visio 2010, and Project 2010. We will send details as we get closer to the event.
 
As announced on 5 March, Microsoft and its qualified retailers have been offering the Office 2010 Technology Guarantee which ends on September 30, 2010. The Office 2010 Technology Guarantee allows eligible consumers who purchase and activate Office 2007 or a new PC with Office 2007 between the eligibility dates, to download Office 2010 when it is available – at no additional charge.