CNET has a source claiming that Microsoft may decide to make life easier for Netbook users anxious to upgrade to Windows 7.

Since debuting its new operating system last fall, Microsoft has often advertised Win 7 on Netbooks. But for owners of machines that are missing CD/DVD drives, installing the operating system is no small feat.

The solution?

Windows 7 operating system loaded and sold on a flash drive, allowing usually disadvantaged Netbook users to easily upgrade their machines.

Source

In an interview with the Times of London, Activision CEO Bobby Kotick threatened to stop making video games for Sony’s PlayStation 3. Kotick blames the high cost of the PS3 and the company’s poor sales of the No. 3 video game console. To the Times, Kotick said, “I’m getting concerned about Sony; the PlayStation 3 is losing a bit of momentum and they don’t make it easy for me to support the platform. It’s expensive to develop for the console, and the Wii and the Xbox are just selling better.”

The No. 1 video game console in the United States, the Nintendo Wii, has a price tag of $250. The cheapest version of Microsoft’s Xbox costs $200.  But Sony’s PS3 goes for a staggering $399, causing complaints among many of Sony’s game publishers.

Unfortunately for Kotick, who is calling for Sony to make some price cuts before losing more business, Sony refuses to do as such. Despite reporting a $1 billion loss last quarter, Sony insists that the PS3 is losing momemtum in the mark.  In response to Kotick’s threats, Sony issued this statement, “We enjoy healthy business relationships with and greatly value our publishing partners and are working closely with them to deliver the best entertainment experience.”

Kotick may give Sony until 2010-2011 to make a price cut before reconsidering Activision’s support of PS3 and the PSP.  But with a market value of $16 billion as the world’s largest independent video game developer, we’re pretty sure Activision has no qualms about cutting Sony out.

Source

Adobe Systems has formally launched Acrobat.com, moving the web-based productivity and collaboration services out of beta. Yesterday, the company began offering two premium paid subscription services for businesses.

The free version of Acrobat.com will still be available for use, but with limited functionality. For intensive business users looking to add capacity and capabilities, Adobe offers two subscription levels: Premium Basic and Premium Plus. The Premium Basic ($14.99 per month, $149 per) allows 10 PDF conversions per month, and the ability to hold web meetings with up to five participants. A Plus subscription ($39 per month, $390 per year) includes web meetings with 20 participants and unlimited PDF conversions. Free subscriptions will not include one-on-one support from Adobe.

Premium subscriptions to Acrobat.com are available on the Adobe online store (North American only). To lure users to its premium online collaboration services, Adobe is offering $50 off annual subscriptions until July 16, 2009.

Since the free public beta release of Acrobat.com in June 2008, five million people have signed up to use the service. Acrobat.com provides users with access to the Buzzword word processing application; My Files for file storage; and Adobe ConnectNow for live Web-based video and voice conferencing, online PDF conversion, and online file storing and sharing.

Source

Yesterday, Microsoft announced that it would be tossing yet another product into its growing bin of underperforming software. Like Encarta, Flight Simulator, and Windows Live OneCare before it, Microsoft Money has been scrapped. And just as Wikipedia defeated Microsoft’s Encarta reference software, Money could not survive against Intuit’s financial software package, Quicken. On the Money website, the company states, “With banks, brokerage firms and Web sites now providing a range of options for managing personal finances, the consumer need for Microsoft Money Plus has changed.”

In August 2008, Microsoft ended updates to Money and pulled the software from retail shelves. By October of that year, the company began scaling back on the development on at least 13 products, which can be found here.

Microsoft Money will be available for purchase until June 30, 2009. Online services will be available until January 31, 2011. Microsoft assures the product will continue to work after that point, but users will no longer have access to automated data feeds from banks, credit card companies, and other financial service providers.

For those who currently own, or plan to purchase the software before the end of June, be sure to activate the program before January 31, 2011. And, for users who are concerned about exporting information from Money to another financial management application (Quicken, anyone?), Microsoft provides a support document on its corporate website, available here: Exporting Account Information.

Source

Intuit, the software developer of TurboTax and QuickBooks, has become yet another Silicon Valley company forced to trim staff amid the recession. In recent days, the company cut 4% of its 8,200-strong workforce in an effort to manage costs. Nearly half of the 300 employees given 60-day notifications came from Intuit’s Small Business Division, which is responsible for its QuickBooks accounting software.

In a statement, a spokeswoman for the company tried to assure that the cuts Intuit will make in its workforce will not have a material impact on its results. For Intuit, she stated that, “We manage our resources on an ongoing basis; these changes support our long-term growth strategy.” The company also insists that the layoffs are in no way related to its plans to buy PayCycle, the online payroll service, for $170 million.

Intuit’s announcement follows in the wake of layoffs by Microsoft, Google, Applied Materials, and more recently, Hewlett-Packard.

Source