Microsoft Asia Pacific has responded to researchers’ claims that enterprise chief information officers "have not warmed to the Vista operating system over the past year."

The northern hemisphere researchers said that the CIOs they recently surveyed voted 11 to one against plans to implement Vista. The researchers concluded that "CIOs and other heads of IT still believe there is little business value in migrating from XP to Vista, especially in the current economic climate."

Richard Francis, General Manager, Windows Client Group, Microsoft Asia Pacific, said that, overall, sales of Windows Vista licenses have passed 180 million since launch, and at least 100 million Windows Vista users have actively hit Windows Update. Francis also claims that this is the right time customers are starting to deploy, especially with Windows Vista SP1.

Francis also added that they (Microsoft) have received positive feedback from enterprises and SMB customers in APAC who have experienced the business benefits of Windows Vista and that the history of the operating system lifecycle clearly suggests an increase in deployment 18 months into the launch or close to release of SP1.

Microsoft has been seeking to land new OEM search deals with various PC makers (like Lenovo) as a way to grow more quickly its lagging search market share. Not to forget their web search deal with Linspire too.

Mary Jo Foley reports that Microsoft and Dell have signed a deal via which Dell will be shipping new PCs with the Live Search toolbar preinstalled, according to sources familiar with the arrangement between the two companies. Microsoft officials declined to comment on the alleged deal, as did Dell officials. Officials with both companies said they would not comment on "rumors and speculation."

Foley also added that her sources say Microsoft has offered Dell sweet enough terms to entice the PC maker to replace its search-preload deal with Google with a comparable offering from Microsoft. OEM deals are just one way Microsoft is looking to grow its search share.

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer again voiced support for purchasing Yahoo or its search business, hinting in a published report that a deal between the two companies may be reached before the end of the year. Ballmer also reiterated that Microsoft can fight Google on its own.

In an interview with The Wall Street Journal after the appointment of former Yahoo executive Qi Lu to run its online services group (OSG), Ballmer said that a search deal "makes great sense" for Microsoft and Yahoo, but would be more advantageous for both companies if struck soon.

However, Ballmer also told the Journal that Microsoft and Yahoo are not currently in talks about a deal, but also said he would not admit publicly even if they were.

Will Microsoft ever buy Yahoo? That’s a million dollar question Ballmer only can answer for now!

Facebook has been hit with a virus that could spread to its 120 million users. The virus has been dubbed "koobface", which tries to gather personal information from users computers such as credit card numbers.

The virus dubbed "koobface" sends a message to all the friends of the infected titled "You look just awesome in this new movie". Users who opened the messaged where asked to download a fake update for Adobe flash player, which was actually the virus itself being downloaded and installed onto victims computers. If users attempted to use any of the major three search engines such as Yahoo, Google, or Live search, users would be taken to contaminated sites.
All users are being asked to run their updated anti-virus scanners to check for potential contamination. Facebook has also posted a response to help users clean infected machines on their security web site.

The "koobface" hit MySpace in August, where users had a similar situation where the virus took over their computer. Researchers believe that this is not the last of the "knobface" virus we will see, but the hacker or hackers are improving it.

Kodak’s wireless photo frame is the first to use Organic Light Emitting Diodes, the new technology expected to replace LCDs soon.

The 7.6 inch frame sports a 800×480 resolution with a touch-sensitive frame (not the display itself). Utilising AM-OLED technology this crisp display is capable of a 30000:1 white to black contrast ratio, perfect image representation at any angle and visibility in sunlight. As it is wireless you can connect your computer to synchronise and transfer images. Another feature is the ability to connect to the internet on the frame and access Kodak Gallery, Flickr and FrameChannel online.

The photo frame can play video files as well as background sound while viewing slideshows. It has a variety of ports including miniUSB, USB, memory card reader, audio output and a seperate audio input. You can use the USB or memory card reader to add additional storage if you manage to exhaust the 2GB internal storage.

If you believe the death knell has sounded for LCD technology and would like to pick up this next-generation beauty now, you will be dismayed to find it at US$999 on Kodak’s website.
If you’re still wondering what all the fuss is about, check out the video below, comparing Kodak’s new offering to an ordinary LCD photo frame.

It is expected that more OLED announcements will be made at the CES 2009 starting January 8th.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. will become the second mass-market retail chain to start selling Apple Inc.’s iPhone, with two store representatives saying the world’s largest retailer will carry two models of the Web-surfing handset this month.

Employees in the cell-phone departments at five California stores, contacted by phone today, said Wal-Mart will offer iPhones by the end of December. Employees are currently being trained on how to sell the device, all five said.

Apple Chief Executive Officer Steve Jobs tapped Best Buy Co., the largest U.S. electronics retailer, in September to sell the device as he works to win more buyers. Before then, the iPhone had been sold only by Apple and AT&T Inc., the exclusive provider of wireless service for the phone in the U.S.

Analysts say Apple may offer a discontinued 4-gigabyte version through Bentonville, Arkansas-based Wal-Mart and sell it for $99. Apple currently sells two models at $199 and $299.

“A $99, Apple-branded cell phone is inevitable,” said Shaw Wu, an analyst for Kaufman Brothers in San Francisco. “One of the key things Apple needs to do to drive broader iPhone adoption is to build a more complete product line” with low- end, mid-range and high-end products, Wu said in a Dec. 5 note.

Apple spokesman Steve Dowling wouldn’t respond to the report and said the company “does not comment on rumor or speculation.” Wal-Mart spokesman Dan Fogleman said the company hasn’t made an official announcement on an iPhone offering and has no comment. AT&T spokesman Mark Siegel declined to comment.

Source: Bloomberg

Microsoft is going from marketing computer programs to making clothes, with a new line of graphic tees dubbed "Softwear by Microsoft." Softwear … instead of Software. It’s no surprise that Crispin Porter & Bogusky—the agency Microsoft is relying on to make it cool—had a hand in the line of urban geek shirts expected to hit select stores on December 15. Crispin conceived of the collection, the branding and many of the designs, as well as all the marketing materials, an agency representative said.

The line features retro MS-DOS fonts and a Bill Gates mugshot tee. It launched this week with a bash in New York. Microsoft calls it "a clothing line that taps the nostalgia of when PCs were just starting to change our lives…"

News source: AdAge.