The Hyatt ads will encourage people to sign up for a frequent-guest program, as well as letting them book rooms and check in using their phones, said Charles Johnson, Microsofts general manager for mobile media. The companies plan to announce the deal today at an ad-industry conference in Cannes, France.
Microsofts advertising division, which mostly sells ads designed for viewing on PCs, is adapting the business to the faster-growing mobile-phone market. The Redmond, Washington- based company aims to narrow Google Inc.s more than 8-to-1 lead in total [...]

The program, Microsoft Security Essentials, is designed to find and kill malicious software that can steal passwords and other personal information or turn PCs into spam distribution hubs.
Once the PC security software is installed, Microsoft said it will download updated lists of identified malware daily, but will keep a low profile unless it detects dangerous software.
Theresa Burch, a director on the security software team, said the program tries to spot malicious software even if its not on the list of known corrupters. When it encounters something suspicious, it checks with a Microsoft server for updated intelligence before allowing the program [...]

At the same time, Microsoft has left open the possibility that this measure will not satisfy the European Union, which said in January that the software makers practice of selling Internet Explorer as a part of Windows violates its antitrust rules.
The EU ordered Microsoft to separate the Web surfing software from its PC operating system. The preliminary decision came after a yearlong investigation into complaints from a rival browser maker, Norways Opera Software ASA, which said Microsofts practices amounted to an unfair distribution advantage. Since then, Mozilla Corp., which makes the Firefox browser, and Google Inc. have signed on as [...]

In a statement released late Wednesday, Microsoft said the dividend is payable Sept. 10 to stockholders of record as of Aug. 20.
Microsoft also said its board has proposed to let shareholders representing a quarter of the companys stock call special meetings. For this to occur, shareholders would have to approve amendments to Microsofts bylaws at the companys annual meeting in November.
Currently, Microsoft allows only board members to call special meetings.
“We believe the 25 percent threshold level of share ownership maintains an appropriate equilibrium by ensuring that a special meeting is supported by shareholders representing a significant but attainable proportion of [...]

But Bings early gain is no predictor of future success. After all, the last time that happened, Microsoft had resorted to paying people to use Bings predecessor, known as Live Search.
Bing went live June 3, though some people had access earlier. According to a report Tuesday from research group comScore Inc., Microsoft snagged 11.1 percent of U.S. searches from June 2 to June 6. A week earlier, its share was 9.1 percent.
That still leaves Microsoft a distant third behind Google Inc., which was used for more than 60 percent of searches in April, and Yahoo Inc., which topped 20 percent. [...]

Microsoft and Sony introduced their own versions of motion technology this week at the Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles. They are meant to erode the novelty that helped Nintendo expand the market and become the top-selling console.
Sonys prototype wand immerses PlayStation 3 players in a three-dimensional field and will be ready for sale by next years U.S. spring. Microsoft didnt say when its technology, whose 3-D cameras do away with the need for an Xbox controller, will be available. Nintendo doesnt intend to go down [...]

Thats the premise of the $100 million, four-month advertising campaign Microsoft hopes will turn Bing into a verb and give the software maker a fighting chance against search leader Google Inc. - unlike its last redesign, Live Search, which launched four years ago to such little fanfare that many Web surfers still dont know where to find it online.
In the first Bing ad, set to debut Wednesday night, Microsoft unveils “search overload” syndrome - the state of confusion brought on by search results that dont answer a users question. The commercial starts with bleeps and blips and a montage of [...]

Microsoft introduced a prototype camera Monday that can be used as a controller for the Xbox 360. Codenamed “Project Natal,” the camera eliminates the need for a handheld input device - instead, the gizmo can track a players full body movement, recognize their face and voice, scan images of real items and respond to both physical and vocal commands.
Microsoft also debuted 10 exclusive new games and several additions to the Xbox Live online service at their flashy Electronic Entertainment Expo press conference at University of Southern Californias Galen Center.
But the biggest gee-whiz moment came when Microsoft senior vice president Don [...]

The new site, Bing, adds touches intended to make everyday Web searching a little less haphazard. Bing also tries to make it easier for people to buy things, book travel and find credible health information.
History has not been kind to even the best search innovators. Many companies, including Amazon.com Inc. and IAC/InterActiveCorp., and startups like Hakia, ChaCha and Cuil have tried to improve on the basic “10 blue links” format of search results, but Google Inc. has remained unstoppable.
Microsofts last effort, Live Search, failed to catch on partly because the software maker didnt do much to promote it. Marketing is [...]

The new device, called the Zune HD, will also carry a high-definition video output that will let people play files through a docking station on HD televisions, Microsoft said Wednesday. And the Zunes screen will use organic light-emitting diodes, a technology that helps improve battery life and image quality.
Microsoft has managed only single-digit market share for the Zune since its 2006 debut, but the company is continuing to invest in the device as an alternative to the dominant portable music player, Apple Inc.s iPod. Microsoft says the new Zune will be the first with a receiver for HD [...]