The Google-Microsoft ecosystem war: a full history
A simmering battle between two tech giants has boiled over into a an all-out war. As Microsoft tries to regain territory in mobile, maps, and on the web browser, Google is shutting out Microsoft's products from its services. Google's strategy of not supporting Microsoft products like Windows Phone, IE, and ActiveSync could be considered aggression or could be considered not-so-benign neglect. Either way, it has real consequences for both companies and possibly the future of the internet.
Microsoft backs privacy bill in effort to keep Google Apps out of the classroom
In the ongoing battle between Microsoft and Google over the market for office software, Massachusetts legislators are now considering considering a bill that would restrict cloud computing services from using student data for commercial purposes like (but not limited to) advertising. According to The Wall Street Journal, the bill is the work of Microsoft, which is trying to protect its lucrative Office business from encroachments by Google’s free Apps for Education. A Microsoft spokesman...
Microsoft confirms CardDAV and CalDAV support are coming to Windows Phone
We reported moments ago that Google was extending Windows Phone support for Exchange ActiveSync until July 31st — no doubt bringing a sigh of relief to users of Microsoft's mobile OS — and now Redmond has confirmed that a long-term solution is in the works. In a blog post, the company states that the Windows Phone team is building in support for both the CalDAV and the CardDAV protocols. The addition will let Windows Phone users sync their calendars and contacts with Google's services,...
Google extends Windows Phone support for Exchange ActiveSync until July 31st
Google originally announced its plans to cutoff Exchange ActiveSync support for new users today, January 30th, but the company has revealed to The Verge that it plans to extend this to July 31st. In a statement issued to us, a spokesperson says the company will "start rolling out this change as planned across all platforms but will continue to support Google Sync for Windows Phone until July 31, 2013."
The change of heart follows Microsoft's requests for Google to extend its Exchange...
Google makes Microsoft sweat over Sync cutoff, but Windows Phone will get DAV support
Google's decision to drop Exchange ActiveSync support, a protocol used to sync Gmail calendar, contacts, and mail items on mobile devices, left Microsoft surprised and disappointed. The change means new Windows Phone users after January 30th with personal Gmail accounts will be unable to sync calendar and contact items. The Verge has learned that Microsoft is planning to support CardDAV and CalDAV in Windows Phone, Google's new preferred route to sync contacts and calendars. The software...
Google enabling Maps access for Windows Phone after uproar
The Google Maps on Windows Phone debacle looks like it will be resolved after all. Google now says that it is in fact planning to get rid of the redirect that’s preventing Windows Phone users from accessing the Google Maps website using Internet Explorer — "soon," even. Google provided The Verge with the following statement:
"We periodically test Google Maps compatibility with mobile browsers to make sure we deliver the best experience for those users.
In our last test, IE mobile...
Many Windows Phone users report being cut off from Google Maps (update)
Google Maps has never officially been supported on Windows Phone, but today many users have reportedly been cut off entirely. Frustrated owners report that trying to visit the web version of Google's popular service results in them being redirected to the company's main website. As numerous posts in our forums and our own tests confirm, the issue is currently affecting a wide number of handsets running Windows Phone 7 and 8.
The rivalry between both tech giants has grown deeper in recent...
Microsoft criticizes FTC settlement with Google, calls outcome 'a missed opportunity'
Dissenting FTC commissioners aren't the only ones that disagree with the settlement deal the Federal Trade Commission brokered with Google: now Microsoft has chimed in, expressing concerns with the "weak" and "unusual" result. In a blog post, Microsoft vice president and deputy general counsel Dave Heiner writes that the FTC didn't acquire any type of binding agreement that would keep Google from resuming the accused behavior if it wanted to. It's the same criticism levied by the FTC's own J....
Microsoft 'surprised' by Google's ecosystem warfare? Give me a break
Come on, Microsoft.
Redmond finally issued a statement today in response to Google's decision to cut off Exchange ActiveSync support to personal, non-enterprise users — a decision that renders Windows Phone effectively unable to handle contacts and calendars stored in Google's cloud.
Microsoft 'disappointed' by Google's Exchange ActiveSync decision, pledges support for IMAP
Microsoft has officially responded to Google's planned Gmail ActiveSync removal in a statement issued to The Verge today. The company says it has been left "surprised and disappointed" by Google's decision that will affect the syncing of personal Gmail contacts and calendar for new WIndows Phone devices. Microsoft briefly responded to Google's decision late last year, but today's statement appears to indicate that the company has no plans to support Gmail contacts and calendar sync initially.
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Microsoft claims Google continues to block fully featured YouTube app for Windows Phone
Microsoft originally voiced its concerns over a lack of a full Windows Phone YouTube app nearly two years ago, but the software giant has decided to resurface its complaint as 2013 gets underway. Microsoft's Dave Heiner posted a fresh blog post on the company's legal blog today to highlight his concerns over Google's behavior. "Google continues to prevent Microsoft from offering consumers a fully featured YouTube app for the Windows Phone," claims Heiner.
Central to Microsoft's complaint is...
Microsoft left 'surprised' by Google's Exchange ActiveSync announcement
Google announced last week that it plans to drop Exchange ActiveSync support for new devices on personal Gmail accounts from January 30th. While Microsoft has remained quiet on the issue affecting Windows 8, Windows RT, and Windows Phone Gmail setup, the software maker has now responded to Google's announcement in a blog post. Microsoft's Dharmesh Mehta admits that the company was "very surprised" by Google's announcement, indicating that Microsoft does not have immediate steps in place to...
Google drops a Gmail-shaped bomb on Windows Phone
For Windows Phone users, the news out of Google today couldn't be much worse.
The company announced it's removing support for Microsoft's Exchange ActiveSync protocol for new devices from January 30th, 2013. Google Apps for business accounts will be unaffected and existing devices that are setup to sync mail, calendar, and contacts will work fine, but new devices will not be able to use the Exchange ActiveSync protocol with Gmail. It's a big blow to Windows Phone and part of a bigger feud...
Google makes Gmail sync harder on rival platforms by dropping Exchange ActiveSync for consumers
Setting up an iPhone or other non-Android smartphone to sync with Gmail's services just got a little more difficult. Google is dropping consumer support for the Exchange ActiveSync protocol soon as a part of a "Winter Cleaning," the company has announced. As a replacement, Google is recommending CalDAV for calendar, CardDAV for contacts, and IMAP for email — though obviously iPhone owners will also likely use the new Gmail app for that. The move isn't entirely unexpected, Google has been...
Microsoft launches 'Scroogled' anti-Google Shopping website
Microsoft is launching its latest anti-Google campaign this week. A new Scroogled site has emerged that directly attacks Google's "unfair pay-to-rank shopping practices" says Microsoft. "Simply put, all of their shopping results are now paid ads," reads a statement on the site. The move follows a change by Google to move to a model where all merchants pay either per click or per transaction to be included in Google Shopping.
"We say that when you limit choices and rank them by payment,...
First strike: how tech's superpowers could start an ecosystem war
WE ARE IN THE MIDST OF A COLD WAR BETWEEN THE LARGEST TECHNOLOGY COMPANIES IN THE INDUSTRY.
It’s a war for ecosystem territory, in which companies are vying to keep users within their own lands and making small but strategically important incursions on the peripheries of other players. The ecosystem war between Apple, Microsoft, Google, and Facebook has largely become a war of attrition with limited asymmetric vulnerabilities. With a few exceptions, these entities have engaged in standard...
W3C says WebKit's dominance is damaging the web
The current dominance of Google Chrome and Apple's Safari browser is damaging the standards of the web, according to Daniel Glazman, the co-chairman of the W3C's CSS standards working group. Chrome and Safari share the WebKit engine, and together currently account for around a third of all browser use. Glazman says that web programmers often overlook other browsers when they use newer CSS features designed specifically for WebKit, creating styles with no alternatives for other browsers to...
Microsoft
Microsoft makes its 'Gmail Man' video official in privacy fight against Google
We have seen the "Gmail Man" video before thanks to a leak, but Microsoft just posted it to the company's official YouTube, Twitter and Facebook pages. The spoof video was originally broadcast at Microsoft's internal Global Exchange sales conference on July 20th last year, and it depicts a mail man riffling through letters (email) to find keywords for ads. "Would you trust this guy to deliver your mail?" asks Microsoft on its Facebook page, one Facebook commenter responded "I trust him about...
