Microsoft has launched a brand new online marketplace which allowed users that sign-up and look for a potentially right one to solve their own problems. This online market place is called Task Market, read the name assume that you know what they want to do next. Underneath this newly founded startup also lies Microsoft’s evolving strategy in Web 2.0 field. As stated on Task Market’s FAQ, it aimed to connect small businesses with skilled freelancers for marketing and other document help such as graphic design, writing and editing, document translation, and creating or enhancing presentations and spreadsheets. I see it as an online marketplace to extend the market share of Microsoft Office in the small business sector.

Task Market is being developed by two important units of Microsoft, Microsoft Research Asia and Microsoft Office Labs. It is temporarily in preview mode, with a business model that when an user offered the job and posted it out on Task Market, and on the other hand, users with the confident to complete the job task will seek the job permission from the job poster. Upon an user is being selected as the one who complete the job, she will receive the payment through PayPal. As usual, each job is allowed to be tagged by the job poster, and hence improve the visibility of the job. To praise and sell the job solver, job poster also can rate the job solver in a scale from one to five star.

Microsoft is leverage its brand asset as it pursues its Web 2.0 dream. But like other players, it face competitors in this field, most notably Elance, and oDesk.

via [Webware]

Microsoft has relaunched Farecast a couple of hours ago. Yesterday while I tried to access to this site, it was down. With the new logo, Farecast is apparently being built into part of the Microsoft Live Search platform.

In April this year, I did profiled a news pertaining to the purchase of Farecast by Microsoft, and even wondering whether Microsoft will going to merge the MSN Travel and Farecast, but with this relaunch site, Farecast will still remain as the same old Farecast that we know, and virtually nothing changes can be found on the landing page, not to mention the change of Farecast’s corporate logo. The only small change I find right now is from MSN Travel, where users will find airfares prediction and deals by Farecast in a small column located in the left hand side of MSN Travel.

If you’re using Windows XP Chinese edition, the update file of Service Pack 3 is available for you to download. Simply click this link will bring you to that file.

via [cnbeta]

Microsoft has just introduced Live Mesh, to many people it is an ambitious initiative, from what we saw from the concept behind Live Mesh. In technological setting, Live Mesh is a cloud computing platform, that enable synchronization and storage “to the cloud.” In other word, it allowed users to connect with all sorts of their devices, in a so-called Mesh. This Mesh is being appeared as a folder and thus, users are able to use, share, sync in their preferred computer desktops remotely. Underneath this technology lies Microsoft’s evolving strategy, they seemed to be interested to build something really big, and all other operating systems can embrace this Live Mesh. An intuitive question will be how many operating systems that Live Mesh can offer beyond the existing Windows platform and how quickly they can implement this great idea?

At this moment, Live Mesh is in the invite-only phase (I’m still in the waiting list), and I read Microsoft has set a maximum 5G of cloud storage limit on this Live Mesh. To know all the details on this release, you can visit this blog post, entitled, “Introducing Live Mesh.” Of course, keep your eyes on the Live Mesh blog as well.

Microsoft is on shopping spree again. This time they are acquiring Farecast, and this news has been confirmed by Farecast’s blog. Farecast, is a Web 2.0 travel portal that enabled their users to predict whether prices of flights or hotels will go up and down, so users are much aware of when to buy through the output of predicted data.

From this buy, Microsoft is signaling its intention to build an all-round Internet capabilities as part of a larger Internet empire. Features available in Farecast has also been built into Microsoft’s existing MSN Travel, at this moment not sure Microsoft will merge these two into one, as either one of them did not bridge the gap of the other.

Although the sum of acquisition has not been disclosed by either party of them, but the price tag might go up to $115 million, as reported by Seattle P-I.

via [search engine land]

Much has been written about Microsoft’s unsolicited offer for Yahoo!, but it’s seemed that Microsoft believed the value of Yahoo! has been dropped since the offer was first made in January. What will be Microsoft’s next step? On April 5, Microsoft sent a letter to Yahoo! board, setting a three-week deadline, i.e. April 26 for an agreement to be made. The full text is listed as below. From now on we know it is a make or break for Microsoft.

April 5, 2008
Board of Directors
Yahoo! Inc.
701 First Avenue
Sunnyvale, CA 94089

Dear Members of the Board:

It has now been more than two months since we made our proposal to acquire Yahoo! at a 62% premium to its closing price on January 31, 2008, the day prior to our announcement. Our goal in making such a generous offer was to create the basis for a speedy and ultimately friendly transaction. Despite this, the pace of the last two months has been anything but speedy.

While there has been some limited interaction between management of our two companies, there has been no meaningful negotiation to conclude an agreement. We understand that you have been meeting to consider and assess your alternatives, including alternative transactions with others in the industry, but we’ve seen no indication that you have authorized Yahoo! management to negotiate with Microsoft. This is despite the fact that our proposal is the only alternative put forward that offers your shareholders full and fair value for their shares, gives every shareholder a vote on the future of the company, and enhances choice for content creators, advertisers, and consumers.

During these two months of inactivity, the Internet has continued to march on, while the public equity markets and overall economic conditions have weakened considerably, both in general and for other Internet-focused companies in particular. At the same time, public indicators suggest that Yahoo!’s search and page view shares have declined. Finally, you have adopted new plans at the company that have made any change of control more costly.

By any fair measure, the large premium we offered in January is even more significant today. We believe that the majority of your shareholders share this assessment, even after reviewing your public disclosures relating to your future prospects.

Given these developments, we believe now is the time for our respective companies to authorize teams to sit down and negotiate a definitive agreement on a combination of our companies that will deliver superior value to our respective shareholders, creating a more efficient and competitive company that will provide greater value and service to our customers. If we have not concluded an agreement within the next three weeks, we will be compelled to take our case directly to your shareholders, including the initiation of a proxy contest to elect an alternative slate of directors for the Yahoo! board. The substantial premium reflected in our initial proposal anticipated a friendly transaction with you. If we are forced to take an offer directly to your shareholders, that action will have an undesirable impact on the value of your company from our perspective which will be reflected in the terms of our proposal.

It is unfortunate that by choosing not to enter into substantive negotiations with us, you have failed to give due consideration to a transaction that has tremendous benefits for Yahoo!’s shareholders and employees. We think it is critically important not to let this window of opportunity pass.

Sincerely,

Steven A. Ballmer
Chief Executive Office
Microsoft Corp.

Microsoft will have its own video platform soon, that name after Microsoft Videos. As showed in Microsoft Videos’ landing page, they already entered the preview testing phase, and it shouldn’t take long before it’s fully launched in next month. What users can expect from this site? At first, the content are initially focused on the U.S. territory, but most important for the users are now they’ll have the chance to feel the greatness of Silverlight, another Microsoft’s technology released in last April.

Could Silverlight become the killer application in the rich media platforms? At least Microsoft think so at the time when they launched Tafiti. Microsoft Videos will be another example where developers can use Silverlight to build a decent Web application. So, Adobe, you watch out.

Microsoft Japan is seemed to be heavily promoting Windows Vista series of products in Japan. Two weeks ago, they launched Windows Vista Ultimate SP1, and now it’s the Windows Vista Home Premium upgrade edition. This upgrade edition will only offer 2,500 set, which will be included at no additional charge for existing Windows XP or Windows 2000 Professional to upgrade to Windows Vista Home Premium. It has a special Sakura CD box, for those who purchase this upgrade edition will also entitle to a one-year Windows Live OneCare and a special designed Windows Vista user manual.