Microsoft: Has the battleship finally turned?

Mention Microsoft in any conversation on technology and you will more often than not hear more negative things about the company, and its software, than you will about the things that it is doing right. Words like copycat, no innovation, bloated software, evil are peppered in any conversation do to with the company. Many like to equate Microsoft to some great big battleship that is slow and lumbering when compared to the more nimble companies associated with Web 2.0 and Social Media.

Given this last month and the current slew of announcements one has to wonder if indeed that battleship has turned finally and is coming with all its guns on board firing. Let’s look at some of the stuff that it is managing to pull off and apparently pulling off very well.

Windows 7

After the debacle that was known as Vista many had written off Microsoft’s operating systems as a has been Microsoft fires back by announcing that Windows 7 would be shipping by the fall. Not only will it be shipping sooner than the previous 2010 deadline the company had set but by all accounts this is the operating system that Vista should have been. Reports started coming out about how svelte Windows 7 was right down to the point that it would run just fine on netbook, which is something you would never have dreamed of doing with Vista.

From personal experience running both the beta and the release candidate of the operating system Windows 7 is definitely head and shoulders above Vista. I have joked in the passed that if there was a line-up forming where I could pre-order Windows 7 I’d be right there, except it’s not really a joke. With Windows 7 I think that Microsoft could very well have redeemed itself in the operating system market.

Bing

Okay, I still think it is one stupid ass name but the early results from around the Web have been for the most part fairly favorable. Sure there are some folks who wouldn’t like anything Microsoft does in this area and there are others who have legitimate points against the new search engine from the company.

Microsoft won’t be, and never intended to be, a danger to Google with this offering but they have however stepped up their own game in search which is a good thing. Only time, and improvements, will tell if they will be able to improve their dismal standings in the search market place.

Xbox – Project Natal

This is one that I don’t think anybody saw coming from what I have been able to tell by reading the news about this really cool addition to Xbox. I’m still trying to figure out all the details but the buzz is that this is something that Nintendo should be really concerned about. the very basic idea is the Natal is an add-on controller for Xbox that uses a 3-D camera tied in with an array of motion sensors that will capture the players movements and translate them to in-game actions. Natal will also supports voice and facial recognition as well as multiple players by the time it is launched.

Here’s a short video of the demo that Microsoft gave at E3

Xbox – Movies Streaming Video

The Xbox online Video Marketplace will be getting a new name, Zune Video, and will be changing from a download service into a streaming video service that will be offering 1080p, 5.1 surround sound High Definition content. In other words an instant on-demand movie store that players will also have the option to share their movie watching with others through Xbox LIVE Party.

Xbox – Going Social

the other very interesting news as far as the Xbox is concerned is that Microsoft will be integrating Twitter and Facebook into Xbox. So you will be able to sign in with your Facebook Connect info and post images and info to your Facebook account (pictures courtesy of Kris Abel’s Tech Life blog)

As you will be able to post to your Twitter timeline and access your Twitter Favorites

The Road Forward

No-one is willing the suggest that Microsoft has successfully re-imaged themselves at this point, but for the first time in a very long time Microsoft is doing stuff that people will need to pay attention to. they are starting to make inroads in the cool factor that they probably aren’t getting enough credit for. Sure there are diehard Microsoft haters out there but nothing the company does will get them to admit anything other than they just hate the company.

If Microsoft keeps moving forward the way they are there could be some very interesting times ahead.