Saturday, December 22, 2007

AdSense for Games

From


Google began its gamevertising inititative with its purchase of Adscape earlier this year. At the Casual Connect conference last week, that initiative began to take clearer shape as Google announced its plans to port AdSense into games. Yup, that?s right: no expensive consoles a la Microsoft Xbox, no restrictive portals a la Yahoo Games ? just AdSense for Games.

?I?m going to be very clear right now,? [Google?s Bernie] Stolar said. ?Google is involved in in-game advertising. I?m going to say it one more time, in case there?s any misconceptions here: in-game advertising. This is an area that Google believes will have tremendous growth over the next number of years. ??

?No Gbox, Bernie?? asked Google?s Greg Schaffer, playing along.

Nope, no plans for a console, Stolar said. And no ?Google Live,? no video-game portal, and no video-game search, he said. Later, Stolar reiterated, ?We are not going to be a publisher or a developer or a portal for games, at all. That?s the jobs of everybody here. That?s why we want to partner with you.?

Later, Google product marketing representative Eva Woo said the ads will be both video and text-based. Asked when the system will be rolled out, Schaffer said, ?soon.?

Web games will be the first to get AdSense for Games, with PC and console games to follow. With AdSense efficiently pumping ad revenue into game publishing, expect an explosion of free-to-play games of all sizes

courtesy
emergingearth.com

Microsoft Zune 2.0

With the Zune reaching it's goal of 1 million units sold this week, Microsoft plans to take its digital audio player to the next step by introducing Zune 2.0 and other models.

Microsoft reports that the Zune has officially passed the 1 million unit landmark this week with 1.2 million Zunes officially sold. Not satisfied with leaving the player where its at, Microsoft has confirmed the existence and impending launch of the long rumored Zune 2.0 or 2nd generation Zune.

A Microsoft PR representative had the following to say regarding the release date of Zune 2.0:

"We have seen the rumors floating around, but we haven?t announced specific dates or details for the next generation of the Zune devices or service. That said, Zune follows the cycle of the consumer electronics cycle so you can expect an update later this year prior to the holiday season."

The PR rep continued into vague details about future Zune products. "There are three predictable paths along which we?ll expand Zune."

Microsoft will expand the Zune family with new styles, sizes, and price points. Future Zune products will feature podcasting support and expanded video support. The Zune will also move into other geographic markets when Microsoft feels it has an appealing product to offer those demographics.

Perhaps most importantly of all, the representative mentioned that Microsoft will build on the wireless support. Maybe we'll finally have the freedom of synching our digital audio players via wi-fi.

The rep didn't mention anything specific about Microsoft's rumored answer to the iPod Shuffle. But interesting rumors from sources considered "reliable" point to a very innovative product.

The product is essentially a music playing SD card that will plug into any SD slot. The second part of the player is what makes the SD card usable as a digital audio player. That part is a type of sleeve that'll allow the user to control the music and plug in headphones for putting that music playing goodness to work. The player can't be turned on or off as it is always in the same state.

Sounds like good things are coming to the anti-Apple DAP crowd (which includes me).



courtesy
tech.blorge.com

Boom in Microsoft Sales

Microsoft sales reach �25bn for first time

SOFTWARE titan Microsoft has posted another rise in annual profit as sales burst through the $50 billion dollar mark for the first time.

The company said demand for new operating software Vista Windows and its Office 2007 product helped drive profit over the year up to �6.88bn, from �6.82bn the year before as sales hit �24.93bn ($51.1bn), up from �24bn the year before, just ahead of Wall Street estimates.




The profit performance would have been even better, Microsoft said, had it not had to fork out �500 million to cover the cost of "general hardware failure" faults with its Xbox 360 computer games console.

Microsoft, which was co-founded by billionaire Bill Gates, said its core businesses were "healthy" and it would continue to invest in growth opportunities.

Over the final quarter to June 30, earnings climbed to �1.48bn, from �1.38bn in the same period the year before. Excluding charges related to Xbox, Microsoft said it would have banked a profit of �1.84bn during the final three months of its last trading year.

"Surpassing $50bn in annual sales is a testament to the innovation and value that our product groups delivered into the marketplace," said chief operating officer Kevin Turner.

And Mr Turner said that over the current year, sales were expected to rise to between �27.33 and �27.81bn.

Microsoft is counting on several big product launches, including updated server software and the much-anticipated "Halo 3" video game, to spark double-digit growth next year.

Sid Parakh, a technology analyst at McAdams Wright Ragen, said Vista and Office 2007 were "doing well" with lots of corporate buyers taking to the products.

Analysts were particularly pleased with an increase in Microsoft's "unearned revenue", or money businesses have pledged to spend in coming years on licenses for software.

"It suggests that the wave of business products released in 2007 and the forthcoming products in fiscal 2008...are really going to help the company convince enterprises to sign multiyear agreements," said Matt Rosoff, of independent researchers Directions on Microsoft.

Strong contract sales bode well for Microsoft's plans to roll out server, database and communications software that tie into Vista and Office 2007 in coming months.

"We're having very good success re-signing contracts that are coming up for expiration," said Charly Tracy, Microsoft's senior finance manager, adding that corporations are buying Vista and Office in anticipation of the new server programs.

Mr Tracy shrugged off the Xbox woes. "We've taken the charge and done the right thing for the customer. Now it's all about the great game lineup we've got going into next holiday season," he said.

Microsoft said it estimated the personal computer market to have grown between 11 per cent and 13 per cent in the past three months. The company forecast PC market growth of nine percent to 11 per cent this year with Windows sales expected to move in line.

"Many of the same factors that helped us be successful in 2007, such as a healthy PC hardware market, customer acceptance of our new versions of Office and Windows...will help propel us in 2008," Microsoft chief financial officer Chris Liddell said.