Microsoft Corp. said Tuesday that its next operating system will be made for touch-screen applications, an alternative to the computer mouse, and its top executives reaffirmed interest in joining forces with Yahoo Inc.
Microsoft Chief Executive Officer Steve Ballmer unveiled the iPhone-like touch-screen feature at The Wall Street Journal's "D: All Things Digital" conference, calling it "just the smallest snippet" of the Windows 7 operating system slated for release in late 2009.
A Microsoft employee showed possible applications like enlarging and shrinking photos and navigating a map of San Diego by stroking the screen.
Microsoft (MSFT, Fortune 500) Chairman Bill Gates framed the new feature as an evolution away from the mouse.
"Today almost all the interaction is keyboard-mouse," Gates said. "Over years to come, the role of speech, vision, ink - all of those - will be huge."
The software company's top two executives defended its last operating system, Vista, while acknowledging missteps. Gates said he has never been 100% satisfied with any Microsoft product, and that the company prides itself on fixing shortcomings in later versions.
"Vista has given more opportunity to exercise our culture than some products," he deadpanned.
The former Harvard University classmates fielded a range of questions for more than an hour, sharing the stage as Gates prepares to relinquish daily responsibilities at the company in July to focus more on philanthropic work.
Yahoo talks still underway
Ballmer said Microsoft remained in discussions to team up with Yahoo Inc. (YHOO, Fortune 500) after Microsoft's $47.5 billion bid for the company was spurned earlier this month. He said Microsoft wasn't planning to buy Yahoo but offered only the barest details of what he has in mind.
"We are not rebidding for the company. We reserve the right to do so. That's not on the docket," he said.
Microsoft said May 18 that it revived talks with Yahoo, without providing specifics. Ballmer declined to say much more, even when pressed.
"All I'll say is we're in ongoing discussions with them around a partnership," he said.
Gates let Ballmer take the questions about Yahoo. When asked for his thoughts, Gates said, "I've been supportive of everything Steve has done. ... Totally supportive."
Ballmer, responding to an audience question, denied that the bid tarnished Microsoft's reputation.
"If anything, I think people know we're very serious about our online business," he replied.
New strategies
Microsoft has divulged little about its Windows 7 operating system - even after introducing the touch-screen feature Tuesday - a contrast to the much-hyped release of Vista.
Chris Flores, a director on Microsoft's Windows client communications team, said in a posting on a company blog Tuesday that the more circumspect tack was deliberate and intended to avoid announcing plans that may change.
"With Windows 7, we're trying to more carefully plan how we share information with our customers and partners," he wrote.
The executives regaled the audience with tales of how they met and Microsoft's early days.
Gates remembered Ballmer for his energy, a reputation that persists today.
"Steve was signed up for more things than anybody else. He was very, very busy," Gates said.
Ballmer said he had to plead to grow Microsoft's payroll from 30 employees and that he had to assume the duties of the company bookkeeper, who left on Ballmer's first day. Gates was rightfully worried about bankruptcy.
When Ballmer began to question why he left business school at Stanford, Gates laid out his vision of a computer at every desk. Ballmer stayed put, leading to a 28-year partnership at the company helm.
"I was forced to be particularly articulate that night," Gates recalled.
Ballmer, known as marketing guru, said he has been Gates' "junior partner" for the last eight years, when Gates left the CEO job. He said he has never been uncomfortable with Gates' much bigger fame, though he admitted struggling to adapt to his new relationship with Gates during his first year as CEO.
"I was not sure how much rope to give," he said.
Ballmer said he doesn't anticipate similar transition struggles when Gates steps down from daily responsibilities.
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, whose swift appearance at disaster sites has made him one of the nation's most popular figures and earned him the nickname Grandpa Wen, now has a profile on Facebook.
It's not clear who set up Wen's profile; the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the State Council Press Office both told CNN they were not aware of the page.
Facebook, one of the Web's most popular social networking sites, allows users to create personal profiles. Fake profiles abound, however, with dozens for President Bush and a handful for Mother Teresa. At least one other profile of Wen exists on the site.
By early Wednesday -- just two weeks since the profile's creation on May 14 -- about 14,000 Facebook users had signed on as Wen's "supporters."
By comparison, Bush's profile boasted about 11,700 supporters, according to a feature on the site "Browse the Politicians." U.S. presidential candidate, Sen. Barack Obama, led everyone, with 862,000 supporters.
The numbers for the Chinese premier reflect the growing popularity of Wen, who's become China's face of grief.
Just hours after the earthquake struck on May 12 in southwestern China, Wen traveled to the hardest-hit Sichuan province, consoling and grieving with survivors. More than 67,000 people have been killed in the disaster.
In January, when China suffered the worst winter storms to hit there in 50 years, Wen turned up at a rail station and apologized to the millions of travelers left stranded across the country.
It was a rare move for someone belonging to a leadership often perceived as distant.
Wen's Facebook profile was created two days after the 7.9-magnitude quake and bears his official government portrait -- showing the 65-year-old wearing a gray suit, a multi-patterned tie and a slight smile.
The page lists his interests as Chinese literature and the most American of pastimes, baseball.
The profile creator had uploaded a "We are the World"-style music video that interspersed horrific images of the quake's aftermath with shots of musicians wearing white T-shirts with "5-12" printed on them. Elsewhere, the site has a photo of Wen holding up a backpack and a white sneaker while standing atop rubble, and one of him wearing a baseball jersey and mitt.
The overwhelming sentiment of the messages was one of pride for the premier. "Go Grandpa Wen! Go China!" wrote Don Wong in Singapore.
"It is the nation's luck and the people's luck to have such a Premier," said another, from Andy Guo in New York.
Facebook boasts more than 60 million active users. After creating personal profiles, users can connect with one another, upload photos and share links.
In February, a computer engineer in Morocco was sentenced to three years in prison for creating a profile of Prince Moulay Rachid, the king's younger brother.
It's not clear who set up Wen's profile; the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the State Council Press Office both told CNN they were not aware of the page.
Facebook, one of the Web's most popular social networking sites, allows users to create personal profiles. Fake profiles abound, however, with dozens for President Bush and a handful for Mother Teresa. At least one other profile of Wen exists on the site.
By early Wednesday -- just two weeks since the profile's creation on May 14 -- about 14,000 Facebook users had signed on as Wen's "supporters."
By comparison, Bush's profile boasted about 11,700 supporters, according to a feature on the site "Browse the Politicians." U.S. presidential candidate, Sen. Barack Obama, led everyone, with 862,000 supporters.
The numbers for the Chinese premier reflect the growing popularity of Wen, who's become China's face of grief.
Just hours after the earthquake struck on May 12 in southwestern China, Wen traveled to the hardest-hit Sichuan province, consoling and grieving with survivors. More than 67,000 people have been killed in the disaster.
In January, when China suffered the worst winter storms to hit there in 50 years, Wen turned up at a rail station and apologized to the millions of travelers left stranded across the country.
It was a rare move for someone belonging to a leadership often perceived as distant.
Wen's Facebook profile was created two days after the 7.9-magnitude quake and bears his official government portrait -- showing the 65-year-old wearing a gray suit, a multi-patterned tie and a slight smile.
The page lists his interests as Chinese literature and the most American of pastimes, baseball.
The profile creator had uploaded a "We are the World"-style music video that interspersed horrific images of the quake's aftermath with shots of musicians wearing white T-shirts with "5-12" printed on them. Elsewhere, the site has a photo of Wen holding up a backpack and a white sneaker while standing atop rubble, and one of him wearing a baseball jersey and mitt.
The overwhelming sentiment of the messages was one of pride for the premier. "Go Grandpa Wen! Go China!" wrote Don Wong in Singapore.
"It is the nation's luck and the people's luck to have such a Premier," said another, from Andy Guo in New York.
Facebook boasts more than 60 million active users. After creating personal profiles, users can connect with one another, upload photos and share links.
In February, a computer engineer in Morocco was sentenced to three years in prison for creating a profile of Prince Moulay Rachid, the king's younger brother.
Democrat Barack Obama Tuesday continuedhis efforts to tag John McCain as a candidate with ideas no different than President Bush's.The Illinois senator highlighted McCain's scheduled Tuesday evening closed-press fundraiser, where Bush and the presumptive Republican nominee will appear together.
"No cameras, no reporters, and we all know why," Obama said. "Sen. McCain doesn't want to be seen, hat in hand, with the president whose failed policies he promises to continue for another four years. Now the question for the American people is do we want to continue George Bush's policies?"
To this, the crowd promptly answered, "no."
Obama, though, isn't completely in the clear himself when it comes to private fundraisers. The "bitter" controversy int he wake of Pennsylvania's primary contest stemmed from comments the White House hopeful made at a closed-door event in San Francisco April 6.
Forget liberty - give us residuals or give us death. It's a sentiment shared by countless actors, and one most poignantly offered by Michael Hollick, better known as the voice of GTA IV's immigrant star, Niko Bellic.
In a New York Times article, Hollick revealed that he earned about $100,000 for 15 months of work recording dialogue for his role as GTA IV's protagonist. The game, however, has gone on to rake in over $600 million in a mere two weeks.
And Hollick won't see a dime of it.
"It's tough, when you see Grand Theft Auto IV out there as the biggest thing going right now, when they're making hundreds of millions of dollars, and we don't see any of it," Hollick told the Times. "I don't blame Rockstar. I blame our union for not having the agreements in place to protect the creative people who drive the sales of these games."
The pay discrepancy stems from the fact that Hollywood has yet to make provisions for electronic media, including video games or the Internet. Instead, actors get paid standard Screen Actor's Guild day wages for their work (roughly $730), leaving them out of the lucrative residual loop should a property become financially successful. When it becomes as successful as GTA IV, an actor could be out literally millions.
Hollick is also peeved that he received no additional compensation for lending his voice to the game's massive marketing blitz.
"The first GTA 4 trailer generated something like 40 million hits online, and that's my voice all over it, and I get nothing. If that were a radio spot, I would have. Same thing for the TV ads. I recorded those lines for the game, but now they're all over television."
Further muddling matters is the fact that numerous artists, programmers and engineers contribute to the creation of a virtual character like Niko Bellic. Where, execs claim, do you draw the residual line?
We suspect they're about to find out. The issue bears a distinct resemblance to last year's writer's strike, leading many to speculate a similar battle between the Actor's Guild and Hollywood this summer. After spending a few weeks playing GTA IV, I wouldn't bet against the Niko. Have you seen what that guy would do for money?
In a New York Times article, Hollick revealed that he earned about $100,000 for 15 months of work recording dialogue for his role as GTA IV's protagonist. The game, however, has gone on to rake in over $600 million in a mere two weeks.
And Hollick won't see a dime of it.
"It's tough, when you see Grand Theft Auto IV out there as the biggest thing going right now, when they're making hundreds of millions of dollars, and we don't see any of it," Hollick told the Times. "I don't blame Rockstar. I blame our union for not having the agreements in place to protect the creative people who drive the sales of these games."
The pay discrepancy stems from the fact that Hollywood has yet to make provisions for electronic media, including video games or the Internet. Instead, actors get paid standard Screen Actor's Guild day wages for their work (roughly $730), leaving them out of the lucrative residual loop should a property become financially successful. When it becomes as successful as GTA IV, an actor could be out literally millions.
Hollick is also peeved that he received no additional compensation for lending his voice to the game's massive marketing blitz.
"The first GTA 4 trailer generated something like 40 million hits online, and that's my voice all over it, and I get nothing. If that were a radio spot, I would have. Same thing for the TV ads. I recorded those lines for the game, but now they're all over television."
Further muddling matters is the fact that numerous artists, programmers and engineers contribute to the creation of a virtual character like Niko Bellic. Where, execs claim, do you draw the residual line?
We suspect they're about to find out. The issue bears a distinct resemblance to last year's writer's strike, leading many to speculate a similar battle between the Actor's Guild and Hollywood this summer. After spending a few weeks playing GTA IV, I wouldn't bet against the Niko. Have you seen what that guy would do for money?
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