http://news.cnet.com/8300-13860_3-56.html Beyond Binary en-us A blog by Ina Fried - CNET News.com 2008 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved Fri, 09 Jan 2009 13:32:00 PST Microsoft holding off on Windows 7 public beta http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-10138921-56.html?part=rss&tag=feed&subj=BeyondBinary Microsoft has postponed, at least for a short time, making the beta of Windows 7 publicly available.

The move comes as Microsoft has struggled to keep its Windows 7 Web site up on Friday.

"Due to very heavy traffic we're seeing as a result of interest in the Windows ...

]]> http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-10138921-56.html Fri, 09 Jan 2009 13:32:00 PST Ina Fried Web site problems as Windows 7 beta hits http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-10138449-56.html?part=rss&tag=feed&subj=BeyondBinary Microsoft's Windows Web site will be the place to go to get the Windows 7 beta later on Friday. At the moment though, many users are encountering just error messages when they try to reach the site.

This was the message I got--"HTTP Error 503. The service is ...

]]> http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-10138449-56.html Fri, 09 Jan 2009 08:58:00 PST Ina Fried Ballmer: Google, Google, the economy, Google http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-10137414-56.html?part=rss&tag=feed&subj=BeyondBinary

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer delivers the CES keynote speech Wednesday.

(Credit: Corinne Schulze/CNET Networks)

LAS VEGAS--Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer arrived at the Consumer Electronics Show with his usual optimism, but he also brings a clear sense of reality: The tech industry is in for some rough times.

"The fact of the matter is, this is not a downturn, this is a bit of a reset. Those are quite different and we're trying to really suss through what we think that means for us," Ballmer said in an interview here with CNET News Thursday, a day after delivering the keynote address at the conference.

Ballmer talked about what the "reset" will mean for Microsoft, as well as lessons learned from Vista and Microsoft's move to put Office on the Web. When it comes to what worries him most, most days it's still Google, although he concedes he has had to spend more time recently on economic issues and making sure Microsoft makes the adjustments it needs to. He wouldn't go into detail on what (and who) Microsoft plans to cut, but it is clear that some changes are coming.

The following is an edited version of that interview:

CNET News: Obviously, Microsoft didn't necessarily get everything it might have hoped for in terms of the critical response for Vista. What are you guys planning to do differently with Windows 7?

Ballmer: Well, I think we made some choices in Vista to improve security at the kind of expense, if you will, of compatibility. With Windows 7, we're able to build compatibly off of Vista and really sort of just tune, if you will, the user interface, the performance, and at the end of the day, it'll be what the users think of the product that we're building, and we'll start getting beta feedback this week.

Q: How hard are you pushing the team to get Windows 7 out this year?

Ballmer: I'm not pushing the team hard, the team is pushing itself. They set some goals and objectives and of course we'll ship the product when it's--as I said last night--both right and ready and when we know when that is, we'll share that.

...]]> http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-10137414-56.html Thu, 08 Jan 2009 14:58:00 PST Ina Fried Answers to burning Palm Pre questions http://ces.cnet.com/8301-19167_1-10137222-100.html?part=rss&tag=feed&subj=BeyondBinary Palm Pre

The Palm Pre. Still no word on pricing.

(Credit: Corinne Schulze/CNET Networks) Updated 6:20 p.m. PT, to note that the Pre does have the technical ability to act as a modem for a laptop.

LAS VEGAS--As the device with the most mystery attached to it, there were ...

Originally posted at CES 2009

]]> http://ces.cnet.com/8301-19167_1-10137222-100.html Thu, 08 Jan 2009 13:35:00 PST Ina Fried Q&A: Windows boss weighs in on version 7 plans http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-10136751-56.html?part=rss&tag=feed&subj=BeyondBinary LAS VEGAS - Bill Veghte may not be as well known as his boss at Microsoft, Steve Ballmer. But as the head of the company's Windows business, Veghte is one of the key executives to the future of the company.

At the Consumer Electronics Show here Wednesday, Veghte sat ...

]]> http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-10136751-56.html Thu, 08 Jan 2009 11:23:00 PST Ina Fried Live blog: Ballmer at CES http://ces.cnet.com/8301-19167_1-10131585-100.html?part=rss&tag=feed&subj=BeyondBinary LAS VEGAS--With Bill Gates now a Microsoft part-timer, company CEO Steve Ballmer is filling in at this year's opening keynote for the Consumer Electronics Show. We're bringing you live coverage of his speech, which started at about 6:30 p.m. PST. Windows 7 is likely to be the centerpiece ...

Originally posted at CES 2009

]]> http://ces.cnet.com/8301-19167_1-10131585-100.html Wed, 07 Jan 2009 19:50:00 PST Ina Fried Microsoft: Windows 7 not a lock for '09 http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-10135943-56.html?part=rss&tag=feed&subj=BeyondBinary LAS VEGAS--It's not clear whether Microsoft is just trying to be overly cautious, but top Windows executive Bill Veghte said the company is telling PC makers that Windows 7 might or might not be ready in time for this year's holiday season.

"I'm telling them that it ...

]]> http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-10135943-56.html Wed, 07 Jan 2009 18:34:00 PST Ina Fried Ballmer touts Windows 7 beta, new deals http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-10135791-56.html?part=rss&tag=feed&subj=BeyondBinary 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 ...

]]> http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-10135791-56.html Wed, 07 Jan 2009 18:30:00 PST Ina Fried Verizon, Microsoft in mobile-search deal http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-10134407-56.html?part=rss&tag=feed&subj=BeyondBinary

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer was set to unveil the pact

...]]> http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-10134407-56.html Wed, 07 Jan 2009 09:04:00 PST Ina Fried Q&A: Muglia on the cloud, Azure, and the economy http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-10132989-56.html?part=rss&tag=feed&subj=BeyondBinary A long time ago, Bob Muglia worked on a Microsoft project designed to offer a variety of services in the cloud. That effort, known as Hailstorm, didn't exactly go gangbusters, and Muglia's career took a detour.

Bob Muglia

But both Muglia and Hailstorm are back. On Monday, Microsoft ...

]]> http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-10132989-56.html Tue, 06 Jan 2009 12:22:00 PST Ina Fried