Following the lead of Yahoo and Google, Microsoft has begun adding the ability to hold instant-messaging conversations to its Web site.

The company already has added the feature for users in France, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Spain, and the U.K., and has begun gradually adding to user accounts in Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, and the United States, the company said in a blog post Monday.

The feature is available through Hotmail and also through the people page that lists a Windows Live user's contacts.

I prefer instant-messaging software that runs natively on my PC, chiefly because … Read more

Microsoft reportedly plans to spend up to $100 million in an ad push aimed at trying to reposition the company's search efforts.

According to a report in Advertising Age, the company is likely to tap ad giant JWT for the campaign. Microsoft declined to comment on the report.

Having failed to strike a search deal with Yahoo, Microsoft has been working to revamp its own search efforts.

Microsoft has been testing changes to its search under the Kumo brand but still won't say for sure if that's what it will go with.

The software maker clearly needs … Read more

BRUSSELS--Microsoft plans to use telecomunications companies as a channel to promote Windows 7 for Netbooks.

Speaking to ZDNet UK at Microsoft's Growth and Innovation Day in Brussels on Thursday, Neil Holloway, vice president for business strategy at Microsoft International, said the company was in talks with telecommunications companies and other service providers to work out how Netbooks running Windows 7, currently in beta, could be bundled with other hardware and services, in order to increase market reach.

"Microsoft is working with telcos as a specific channel," said Holloway. "The way that Carphone Warehouse bundles phones, PCs, … Read more

Those of us with too much bandwidth and too little life (yours truly included) are wondering just why Microsoft chose to make a snow leopard the backdrop photo on Live Search on Thursday.

Even though Microsoft puts a new picture on the site each day, surely it hasn't exhausted all the images that are not references to competitor's products.

As TechFlash points out, the fact that Microsoft has the mascot for Apple's next operating system could be cluelessness on Microsoft's point. Or it could be hubris.

But another crazy thought crossed my mind. What if Microsoft … Read more

If one cute kid can help sell products, more kids must be better, right?

After debuting its first "rookies" spot last week showing 4-year-old Kylie using Windows Live Photo Gallery to fix her goldfish picture, Microsoft is back with a new spot that shows 7-year-old Alexa using the software to create a panoramic photo.

Microsoft is clearly trying to convince us its software is so easy that a kid can master it.

It's not a bad strategy. But I'm a little surprised it's are back at it with Photo Gallery. The first ad was pretty … Read more

Microsoft, not necessarily known for being the company for hopeless romantics, is home to at least one.

In a posting on the Channel 10 developer site, Laura Foy put together a list of Redmond products that show that "Microsoft is a super romantic love machine of a company."

In the somewhat tongue-in-cheek video, Foy shows how the company's Web services, in particular, can keep February 14 from being a bust.

"Are you a bit of mess when it comes to Valentine's Day?" Foy asks in the text that accompanies her video. "Are you … Read more

Microsoft confirmed on Friday that it is pushing together its Office Live and Windows Live efforts.

The company isn't changing the development cycle or the leadership of the teams working on the products, but it is promising that consumers will be able to get to both sets of services from a common Web location.

Microsoft didn't say exactly what that spot will be, but the Windows Live branding is expected to be the one that survives the combination, I'm hearing. (But what about Officeliveworkspacecommunity.com? Does Microsoft really want to give up that prime, easy-to-remember address?)

Although … Read more

Last night I attended the Crunchies award ceremony, where Facebook took top honors as the best overall start-up (See the full list of Crunchies award winners). The awards are based on a popularity contest via votes cast through the Crunchies Web site and with input from the Crunchies Committee, consisting of co-hosts GigaOm, Silicon Alley Insider, TechCrunch, VentureBeat and advisors.

The most surprising winner for the evening was in the Microsoft's Live Mesh, which won in the category best technology innovation/achievement. The competition included Facebook Connect (the runner-up), Google Friend Connect, Google Chrome, Swype and Yahoo BOSS.

Given … Read more

LAS VEGAS--As he takes the stage Wednesday, Steve Ballmer has a mighty big task ahead of him.

Not only is he taking over Consumer Electronics Show keynote duties from Bill Gates, he is also aiming to convince the tech world that Microsoft is serious about defending its turf on the PC as well as making headway on the Web, television and phone. Oh yeah, and then there's that whole economy-melting-down thing.

Ballmer hasn't arrived in Sin City empty handed, however. In perhaps the biggest announcement of the night, he will announce Microsoft is ready with a beta version … Read more