Already more than 250 top sites from around the globe are taking advantage of the capabilities in Internet Explorer 9 to deliver differentiated experiences to their customers.

Top Sites and Designers Take Advantage of Internet Explorer

Internet Explorer 9 is designed to bring sites front and centre through Windows 7, enabling a more immersive, more beautiful Web experience. Features such as Pinned Sites and JumpList enable people to put their websites directly on the Windows 7 Taskbar, as though they were native applications, and then to quickly and easily perform tasks related to those websites, such as check their inbox, change music station, accept a friend invitation or see breaking news.

The countdown site states that 12% of the world is using IE6.  And with IE 9 nearing completion, Microsoft stated it is time for the IE6 fans to say goodbye.  How the countdown will work is Microsoft plans to continue the countdown until such time as IE 6 usage falls below 1%.

Hears to hoping it hits 1% very, very fast.

In addition, Microsoft is hoping IE 9 will reverse Internet Explorer’s slipping market share.  In February 2009 IE’s various versions had a corner on 70% of the market.  Today, they represent about 56%.  Firefox and Chrome are cutting into this market share.

For more on this story, visit InformationWeek

The browser is currently wide open to attacks from web pages exploiting the code, which will allow attackers to take control of their machines.  Microsoft has released a workaround, via it’s Enhanced Mitigation Experience Toolkit, which you can download from Microsoft.  However, this workaround will not provide a full solution for users of Windows XP and earlier versions of the OS.

At the time of writing this, a fix is still not available.

Almost everyone who has been hands-on with a Windows Phone 7 device has been impressed to a lesser or greater degree.  However, many established technology writers seemed to report the same conflicting story: That Windows Phone 7 looked great, offered something genuinely different from what’s currently available BUT that it would fail.

It’s also important and relevant to point out that the exact same type of biased reporting was aimed at Apple when it launched the iPad.

Of course, the real value of these blatantly biased reports against brands like Apple or Microsoft, is that they serve as a useful indicator of where many of the so-called independent tech news outlets really stand.  Whilst the bigger tech news providers claim to be unbiased, there are clear differences in how they treat the big tech brands.

The traditional news outlets have well established political biases, with viewers / readers aware upfront if they are consuming left or right based opinion.  When you know up front that you are consuming biased reporting, you can run what you read or listen to through the appropriate filter.

Sadly, it seems there is no clear way to see which biases the leading tech news providers have.  As people base buying decisions on what they read on these sites, isn’t it time there was some honesty here?

In my opinion, their use of Twitter is  also an example of the confusing mixed priorities and fuzzy focus, which seems to happen when a ‘tech company reaches a certain size.  Let me explain.

Microsoft on Twitter

Apparently, the official Microsoft Twitter account is updated / monitored by Sandra LeDuc and Lou Gellos.  It follows just 270 people, with a following of over 130,000 people.  At time of writing, Microsoft have chosen to primarily follow other Microsoft personnel and Microsoft brands, plus some Twitter celebrities.

As well as this primary Microsoft Twitter account, they have scores of other Twitter accounts for their various divisions and countries.  Many of these are far more social media friendly, and follow “normal” users. 

So, 2 very different Microsoft Twitter strategies.

Microsoft off Twitter

According to respected Microsoft watchers like Paul Thurott, Microsoft internally has a similar issue in the real world.  This is often cited as a reason that Microsoft product launches and announcements get in each other’s way.

There is a top level of decision makers, headed by Steve Balmer, which makes the main operating decisions.  Then, there are many mini Microsofts, with often conflicting remits, who go in what seem to us on the outside, as different directions.   The Microsoft Kin phone, axed just 2 months after it’s launch is the most recent example.  The phone wasn’t as bad as many have claimed, but it was launched at the exact same time as another Microsoft team were preparing the media for Windows Phone 7.

This isn’t a Microsoft only problem!

Maybe there comes a point, when ‘tech companies get SO BIG that they lose the ability to focus and plan as a cohesive unit?  Google have shown us this year, with the death of Google Wave and the less than successful launch of Google Buzz, that they too can produce very good services, which fail through lack of focus.

Many industry watchers claimed that Wave floundered because of the extremely poor launch information.  Remember Wave’s launch?  Few people knew how to use it or what to use it for and the launch video famously ran for over an hour!  The problems that caused an International outcry from privacy groups when Buzz was launched, apparently occurred because it was launched, having only been tested on Google Engineers – who were happy to have all their email addresses made public.

Maybe these technology giants are simply more visible, with their every error reported on in detail, and they are no less focused than smaller ‘tech companies?  What do you think?

Windows Phone 7: Not the game-changer we were promised?

Just a few weeks ago, the tech news jungle was buzzing with reports of a new “game-changing” phone OS.  Then, suddenly, reports started to come out slamming it!  Maybe the strongest post came from InfoWorld, with Windows Phone 7 – Don’t bother with this disaster.  This is to be expected, right?  Even the original iPhone drew some negatives for lack of certain features, like cut-n-paste (remember?).

But now it seems that even the most vocal supporters of Microsoft, like respected Microsoft blogger Paul Thurrott, have started preparing us for a far less game-changing OS than we were originally promised.  When people like Thurrott start preparing us to be underwhelmed, I take notice.  He is extremely well connected with Microsoft and is currently writing “Windows Phone Secrets” having been given a device by Microsoft for the book.

I’m guessing here, but I believe Microsoft’s PR people (the worst in the industry) saw all the buzz about how revolutionary the Windows 7 Phone OS would be, and knew they needed to crank it down a bit.  If I am correct, (1st time for everything) this is not a good scenario for any of us!

Why?

Because you don’t have to be a Microsoft fan to want this device to be a success.  When a new OS comes out, which raises the bar, it causes everyone else to up their game.  Look at the speed of the developments to the iPhone OS, since Android started being taken seriously.  Equally, iPhone 4 is causing Android developers to up their game too.  With a new, truly revolutionary OS in the game, iPhone and Android would benefit (as well as Windows users, of course.)

What do you think?  Will Windows Phone 7 fly or flop?

DSGi, one of the UK’s biggest computer retailers, said that they have had more pre-orders for Windows 7 in the past 3 weeks than they had for Windows Vista in a year!

Windows 7 free upgrade from Vista – The argument

As long time readers will know, I believe Windows 7 should be given to Windows Vista users, as a free upgrade.

Many Windows Vista users feel they were unpaid beta testers and that Microsoft has used their time and their error reporting with Vista, to help them produce Windows 7.  I agree!  In fact, many people have suggested that Windows 7 should have been rolled out as a Service pack for Vista.

These users should either get a free copy of Windows 7 OR AT LEAST a massively discounted copy.

Microsoft’s Windows 7 PR blunder

Microsoft’s latest OS is superb and if you are a Widows user, you will almost certainly love it.  It’s just a pity that Microsoft didn’t use the launch of Windows 7, to win back some good faith from millions of angry Vista users.  These people are now using an inferior OS and have to cough-up if they want to use an OS, which I believe they deserve for free.  I blogged about this here.

What do you think?

Should you have to pay for Windows 7, if you already own Vista?

Clearly, the BIGGEST story in tech news during that time, was that I got to name the title of last week’s Windows Weekly podcast with Leo Laporte “bing is my back end“. Yeah, I’m a big fan of the show (thanks Leo.)

What else did I miss?

Well, Gmail was offline for a couple of hours. It seems this caused many people to believe this now means cloud computing is dead and that the ultra-reliable Gmail service is now a hunk of crap. (Dudes, it was down for 2 fricking hours!!)

Skype has been sold by eBay – interestingly, not sold ON eBay though.

Sony has decided to ship notebooks with the Chrome browser pre-installed. I love Chrome and think that with some decent add-ons, it could tempt me away from my beloved FireFox.

Microsoft are STILL trying to do something in the smartphone market, with the release of another version of Windows Mobile (6.5).  It seems the marketplace is not desperate to dump their Symbian-based phones or iPhone’s for it just yet though.

iPhones have started to explode in people’s pockets (at least in France), though NOT according to Apple.  Apple claims that the French iPhones it has seen with cracked screens, were all caused by external force.

YouTube has decided to unblock UK users from viewing ‘official’ music videos, after banning us from accessing them for the past 6-months.  It seems a deal has been cut and everyone’s happy again. Great news for all lovers of sub-standard audio/video.

What tech stories are YOU following right now?

Let me know what’s grabbing your attention in the world of tech, with a comment below.

So, with Windows 7 being so well received, here’s my question;

“Is Microsoft deliberately trying to screw up Windows 7?”

Let me explain.

Windows 7 upgrade

The marketplace has been asking for a single version of Windows for a long time – so the user gets the ability to turn on or off the features they need.  A single version of Windows 32 bit and one for 64bit users.  Nice and simple.  After all, this approach works fine for other operating systems. However, even though people have been demanding a single OS since the first beta of Windows 7, it’s not going to happen.  That’s right, instead of using the launch of Windows 7 as a chance to give their users what they want, Microsoft decided to create 6 different editions of the same OS.

To give you an example of how unnecessarily complicated this makes buying the correct version, Windows blogger Paul Thurrott has written a post that’s 2,600 words long, trying to explain the differences between each edition. Of course, these versions are all priced differently too.

By the way – Once you have decided which of the 6 editions of Windows 7 to get, you have to make another decision. Do you do an upgrade (from Vista), which Microsoft recommends – or do you do as everyone outside Microsoft recommends (including Paul Thurrott ironically) and do a clean install?

Here’s my point: Windows 7 was Microsoft’s chance to win back some of the good faith it lost, after releasing Vista. Yes, Vista today is not as sucky an OS as it was, (still sluggish though) but the original release was horrible.  This angered a lot of loyal Windows users; people who have stuck with the OS since Windows 3.1 or earlier.

I find it amazing that Microsoft is not better able to tap into the needs and demands of it’s users.  Many are so mad after their Vista experiences, that they wanted a FREE Windows 7 upgrade. This was clearly never going to happen.  But by shipping Windows 7 for almost the same price as Vista AND with the same version problems as Vista, Microsoft are showing that they are either not listening to their customers or that they don’t care.

With Apple and Google breathing down their neck, they might just want to reconsider that approach.

During the commercial, Lauren goes into the Apple Store and quickly leaves again, saying ; “There’s nothing in there for under $2000 and that’s before you add anything!”

When Lauren’s mother asks her why would she pay twice the price for a Mac, Lauren tells her; “I wouldn’t!”

Well, according to Advertising Age, Apple has forced Microsoft to change the ad and remove the “twice the price” remark. The original ads have now been pulled from YouTube and replaced, with a more Apple-friendly version.  In the new ad, Lauren simply says; “it seems you are paying a lot for the brand.”

Advertising Age quotes the following Microsoft statement;

“We slightly adjusted the ads to reflect the updated pricing of the Mac laptop shown in the TV advertisement,” a Microsoft spokeswoman said in a statement. “This does not change the focus of the campaign, which is to showcase the value and choice of the PC.”

You can see the revised Laptop Hunter ad on YouTube.