No, Microsoft is not magically morphing into an open-source company, but it’s increasingly an open source-savvy company. Microsoft increasingly seems to grasp the “open core” strategy that JasperSoft CEO Brian Gentile recently explicated on his blog. It’s a way for companies like Microsoft (and IBM, Oracle, and others) to participate in open source without abandoning their investments in their existing license-based business models.

As Google and others enter the Commission fra

(Credit:
Microsoft Game Studios)

But while Microsoft’s game division was hit hard, VentureBeat reported that its Lionhead and Rare studios–the former just published Fable II–as well as its Forza Motorsports studio were untouched.

Microsoft did not immediately confirm whether those studios are being affected by the layoffs.

The main victim was ACES, a wholly owned studio producing the venerable Flight Simulator franchise.

A Microsoft representati

Besides the design, one thing that has continually set the Apple retail stores apart from other computer outlets is the location Apple chooses for them. While many computer retailers put their stores in high-traffic malls, Apple tends to choose trendy, upscale locations.

Microsoft’s retail plans are getting a big boost as the company confirmed to TechFlash that it has hired a former Apple retail executive to help with its store openings.

Here’s an Apple store in Scotts

However, a recent survey from AdMob found that less than half of Android phone owners have purchased an application, citing the lack of hot apps and limited payment options.

Developers will be able to provide screenshots, icons, and descriptions to better promote and highlight their applications.

Google has offered other carrot sticks to attract developers, such as its annual Android Developer Challenge, which offers prizes to programmers with the best apps.

Martin Fink of Hewlett-Packard first started talking about the value of using open source to commoditize a competitor’s core offering through open source back in his 2002 book “The Business and Economics of Open Source.” But Prentice’s idea takes Fink’s argument and runs with it…at Usain Bolt speeds.

If true, The Register’s question–”Is Google spending $106.5m to open source a codec?”–calls up a different response than the author of that article gives. Maybe $106

Disclosure: My company, Alfresco, both partners and competes with Microsoft SharePoint and Drupal.

He’s not alone. In fact, with over 1 million downloads each year, it’s safe to say that Wanschers is in good company in preferring Drupal for Web publishing. FedEx, Nike, R.E.M., and many others share Wanschers’ preference for Drupal for Web publishing.

Follow me on Twitter @mjasay.

Baris Wanschers has posted a great review of 10 cool Web sites ru

Recent data from japan.internet.com (translated by whatjapanthinks.com) suggests that Japan’s mobile phones offer users enough functionality that 49 percent of the respondents to a recent survey say a “mobile phone is enough” when asked what kind of mobile device they would most like to carry.

In addition to the wealth of services and games, with the character-based typing you really don’t need an iPhone or other smartphone unless you need to access corporate e-mail. While this c

Other enhancements include an expanded Speed Dial (a feature that has later been adopted and adapted in Google’s Chrome browser) that shows more commonly visited Web pages than in previous Opera browsers. You’re also able to customize it with a background picture. You’ll see that spell check will be applicable to any text field (for 51 languages), and that Opera’s incorporated e-mail client takes a page from Google’s books by threading e-mail conversations.

Related story: Opera

A Wikimedia representative said the grant is coming at a “critical time” for the foundation that operates the online encyclopedia.

The San Francisco-based Wikimedia said it plans to use the grant to improve the user-friendliness of Wikimedia’s software, develop training materials to engage new potential volunteer editors, and establish metrics to track the foundation’s impact.

The nonprofit organization that operates Wikipedia has received a $500,000 grant from the Wi

Admittedly file sharing is probably not something Facebook would have too hard a time cooking up on its own, but after seeing all the internal data on how FriendFeeders have been using it, Facebook will have something to work with if it chooses to expand how it handles posting or sending media.

Any we left off? Leave them in the comments.

Real real time. FriendFeed’s real time is a constant flow of information that comes in as soon as the service can get it to you. On Face