Filed under: Internet, Utilities, Apple, Microsoft, iPhone
Microsoft Bing and MSN Messenger apps coming to the iPhone
In March 2010, Microsoft will likely release both Bing and MSN Live Messenger iPhone applications. I don't know what format a Bing search app will take -- wouldn't you just use a web browser? -- but a Messenger app might be quite cool indeed!This move most likely comes as an acceptance that Apple's iPhone has won this round of the smartphone war. Microsoft have recently admitted that their Windows Mobile offering is in dire straits. Their market share plummeted 30% in 2009, while gains were made by iPhone, RIM and Android operating systems.
This is Microsoft signaling the beginning of the end for Windows Mobile. As Neowin notes: if you can't beat them, join them. You have to wonder if arch-rivals Apple will approve their Bing and Messenger apps in a timely fashion...
[via Neowin]
Chromatic is one of the best time-wasters I've recently come across. It's all about the gameplay -- no Flash graphics here. You play a "circle" (it doesn't really have a name in the game). You move around with the arrow keys, and you change colors with Z, X, and C.
You can either be red, blue, or yellow, and you can switch at any time during the game. Each color has different capabilities -- yellow can double-jump, while red has a longer dash (which is like a forward sprint, activated by double-pressing DOWN).
Each ...
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Nick said 3:33PM on 12-08-2009
And what about Android? Eventually even the iPhone won't hold a candle to multi-vendor operating systems like Symbian (if it really manages to keep up) and Android.
Reply
Sebastian Anthony said 3:36PM on 12-08-2009
Yes, it's a little odd -- iPhone has something like 20%, Symbian 40-50%.
I suspect Microsoft are working on Symbian-powered phones too, but maybe I just missed that piece of news :)
Neoprimal said 3:57PM on 12-08-2009
How exactly are MS and Apple arch-rivals? They're OS rivals and that's where it ends. True rivals don't work with each other and make software for the others' systems.
MS has been making Mac compat. software for years and Windows runs in Bootcamp, something MS could easily sabotage for whatever the reason, if there were truly any big rivalry.
WLM and Bing working on the Iphone is as logical as Itunes for Windows. It's a great, logical business decision. Apple could have kept Itunes locked away in OSX forever, OR open up to the millions using Windows. It was initially locked away, with Apple hoping that people would buy their hardware to run their Ipod, and it worked but not in the masses they hoped so the smart thing was to make a Windows variant.
MS could keep WLM and Bing locked away but they'd be missing millions of Iphone users who are constantly using their data services, vs. Windows Mobile Phones which operate independently of a data connection (and thus, render the point moot).
Reply
Sebastian Anthony said 10:36PM on 12-08-2009
Hm, perhaps Microsoft don't consider Apple a rival, but vice-versa?
Any gains Apple makes in their market is at Microsoft's expense. Obviously Microsoft make software for the Mac, so it's not all bad.
But if Microsoft's arch-rival isn't Apple... who is it? Google? :)
Neoprimal said 11:50PM on 12-08-2009
Sebastian,
Oh they are rivals in different aspects...they compete OS-wise, of course but arch-rivals is just too strong a description of their relationship. And yes, I think Apple takes MS more seriously than the other way around, because every person that decides to not want/need OSX, doesn't need a Mac, and Apple sells them as a team or neither...whereas MS sells just the OS, even to people who buy Apple hardware so Apple HAS to compete with MS in that aspect. Apple OSX is as much of a "threat" to MS as Linux is.
But as arch-rivals, companies do not by any means collaborate. And Apple and MS have a long history of collaboration and software initiatives.
Apple has no Archrival......the closest I can think of as a company is HP, which builds and brands their own computers, printers, laptops and accessories. If HP ever decided to embrace some Linux variant and market their own proprietary OS for use on their computing hardware, then they'd be an example of a company that competes directly with Apple, and so, would be an Archrival. Likewise, if MS ever decided to buy some hardware vendor like Dell and brand computers, printers and accessories as Microsoft, even with Windows being more 'open' than OSX, they would then be direct compet.
MS also has no real Archrival. As a direct compet. there's Linux - but, well I won't get into that. And while OSX DOES compete directly with Windows, the fact that Apple ONLY sells OSX to/on Macs puts it in a different league.
Apple, Microsoft and Google are 3 completely different monsters that rival each other on different levels, but offer each collaboration as well. None are archrivals, just companies with a few competing products/technologies.
Archrivals?
Chevrolet and Honda.
GE and all major brands not GE.
Sony Music and EMI
NBC, FOX, CBS, ABC (although they technically use each others studios, production companies, etc.)
Sebastian Anthony said 8:21AM on 12-09-2009
Thanks for the input!
I guess I'll opt for just 'rival' next time :)
inteller said 4:01PM on 12-08-2009
well considering that the iPhone can't run background apps, this is pretty useless to run WINDOWS LIVE MESSENGER (not MSN messenger fools).
Reply
sitruc said 4:18PM on 12-08-2009
I believe Anthony or another download squad writer prefers not to use the current name because the other names are more known by him/recognizable in his opinion.
FWIW, I don't agree with not using the proper name either(especially when the source article doesn't use different names).
Sebastian Anthony said 4:23PM on 12-08-2009
MSN Messenger was retired I thought, so it's not ambiguous?
It would be a bit like me saying 'Photoshop' -- does that mean I'm talking about Photoshop version 1 for Windows 3? No, I'm talking about modern Photoshop.
I agree, version numbers/monikers definitely remove any possible ambiguity, but AFAIK, 'MSN Messenger' doesn't exist any more?
Sgt Zeppelin said 4:38PM on 12-08-2009
@inteller:
Is there something I'm unaware of that would prevent MS from using push notifications like every other developer does for their iPhone IM apps?
DeoWulf said 5:40PM on 12-08-2009
_What about Zunes, Microsoft?_
Reply
typoink said 1:33PM on 12-09-2009
MS is a software and services company -- it makes sense to release apps on as many platforms as possible. Arbitrarily fencing-off services will only hurt them, and they know it.
This isn't signalling an end to WinMo (obviously), it's just MS admitting that the iPhone has a big user base and getting some of their popular software on that platform is a good idea.
And the "Bing" app, which is already available on WinMo and Blackberry, isn't web search, it's closer to Google Maps. It's a location-aware stuff finder and basic GPS app.
Reply