Google Says Microsoft Patent Lawsuit Threatens Innovation

PCWorld: "'Sweeping software patent claims like Microsoft's threaten innovation,' Google said in a statement. 'While we are not a party to this lawsuit, we stand behind the Android platform and the partners who have helped us to develop it.'"

Microsoft v. Android: now B&N Nook gets software patent lawsuit

Computerworld Blogs: "Microsoft is suing more Android device makers: now it's Barnes & Noble with it's partners Foxconn and Inventec. Steve Ballmer's gang doesn't like B&N's Nook e-reader, so has slapped them with a software patent lawsuit."

Microsoft Fights Apple's Attempt To Trademark 'App Store'

PCMag: "Can an 'app store' refer to any brand other than Apple? Microsoft thinks so. Microsoft has motioned for a summary judgment to block Apple from trademarking the phrase 'app store,' as it filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) on July 17, 2008. ... "

Ray Ozzie's "Doomsday" Memo re: Microsoft and "The Cloud"

Ozzie is spot-on. But then, that is what he does. Computerworld: "Departing Microsoft executive Ray Ozzie's just-published memo is a 'doomsday-ish' missive that calls on the company to push further into the cloud or perish, an industry analyst said today. Ozzie, who replaced Bill Gates as Microsoft's chief software architect in 2006, is leaving the company, although Microsoft has not disclosed the date of his departure. His 'Dawn of a New Day' memorandum ... is an attempt to focus Microsoft's attention on the day when PCs no longer rule consumer or business computing, said Wes Miller, an analyst with Directions on Microsoft, the Kirkland, Wash. research firm that specializes in tracking Microsoft."

Ballmer Promises Slates with Windows by Christmas

Well, Stev-i-o, time is getting short.WSJ: "Tablet computers running Windows will be unveiled before the end of the year, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said Tuesday. But Mr. Ballmer didn’t provide more details on the software giant’s slow response to Apple’s iPad. ... Microsoft has faced criticism for its performance in the mobile market. Its Kin smartphones were pulled off the market after less than two months, and there is concern that it hasn’t had a response to Apple’s iPad, which poses an additional threat because it could eat into PC sales. Earlier this week, Goldman Sachs analysts downgraded Microsoft’s stock to neutral, in part because of the 'threat of notebook cannibalization from tablets, where Windows does not yet have a presence. Mr. Ballmer in July said Microsoft has 'got to make things happen' with Windows on tablet devices and that the company was 'in the process of doing that right now.'"

Microsoft Patent for Page Turn Animation? And If So, Do We Care?

From the NYTimes.com Bits Blog:

On Thursday a tidbit of news circulated around the Web that Microsoft had filed a patent in late 2009 hoping to lay claim to the look and feel of page turns on a touchscreen device.

The patent states that when “one or more pages are displayed on a touch display” a “virtual page turn curls a lifted portion of the page to progressively reveal a back side of the page while progressively revealing a front side of a subsequent page.” Just like real pages in a paper book.

Many bloggers speculated that if Microsoft is awarded the patent for page turns, Apple would have to remove, or license, the interface technique it currently uses in its iBooks application.

But the page turn doesn’t necessarily make sense in digital form and seems to be an unnecessary and archaic carryover from print.

Of course many might disagree with me on this: it is a topic of debate among fans of user interface design and digital books.

Jason Kottke, blogger and Web designer, had this to say about the iBooks page turn:

The page flipping animation in the iBooks app though? Super cheesy. It’s like in the early days of cars where they built them to look like horse-drawn carriages. Can’t we just scroll?

Craig Mod, a book designer, also noted earlier this year that the page turn is something of a relic: “The metaphor of flipping pages already feels boring and forced on the iPhone.” ...