Elop as Microsoft CEO may extend Office platforms; shut down Bing, Xbox: Report

News:  Nokia's former CEO, Stephen Elop, who according to recent reports is also in the running for the CEO position at Microsoft, might bring about a major change in the Redmond giant's strategy by bringing Office to more platforms, and shutting down the Bing search engine and Xbox gaming device unit, if given a chance to head the company, according to a new report.
 
Elop would offer Microsoft's popular Office apps such as Word, Excel and PowerPoint on other smartphone and tablet platforms, including Android and iOS, according to a report by Bloomberg that cites three people with knowledge of Elop's 'thinking' as the sources of this information.
 
It's worth pointing out that Microsoft currently offers the Office apps on Android and iOS smartphones with limited functionality and only to users who subscribe to its Office 365 service. It's not available for tablets other than the ones that run Windows, as Microsoft feels that Office is a USP of Windows-powered hardware including the Surface tablets that it makes.
 
The report further mentions that Elop would be open to selling or shutting down major business segments to focus on select products that are profitable. It cites the same people to elaborate that the former Nokia CEO could think about shutting down Microsoft's Bing search engine, and even consider selling businesses such as the Xbox if Elop feels that they were not very crucial for the company.

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Tokyo court rules in Apple's favor in patent battle, Samsung has deja vu

In case you forgot, Samsung and Apple's legal squabbles didn't end in US federal court last year: the litigation rages on in international courts. Stop us if you've heard this one -- Samsung and Apple are caught up in a lawsuit focusing in part on Cupertino's bounce back patent, and things aren't looking great for Sammy's lawyers. It's a familiar story, but this time it's playing out in a Japanese courtroom, with a Tokyo judge deciding that a number of Samsung devices are in violation of Apple's scrolling technology. What's this mean to the consumer? Nothing yet -- the court still hasn't calculated damages or approved an injunction, and this isn't the only legal battle the firms are waging in the country's court system. Feel free to brush up on your kanji and check out the source link below for more details, or skip on over to Bloomberg for a more digestible account.

Filed under: Cellphones, Apple, Samsung

HTC reportedly enlists Robert Downey Jr. in $12 million marketing deal

After shedding several senior execs over the last few weeks, it looks like HTC is looking to recruit, albeit for a different role. In a bid to capitalize on the positive momentum behind its excellent One smartphone, Bloomberg reports that HTC will be recruiting no less than (an actor who plays) Iron Man. Robert Downey Jr. will allegedly feature in promotional campaigns as himself (not the aforementioned Avenger or even a time-travelling Holmes) and will even claim final say over creative elements -- hopefully ensuring any appearances Downey Jr. does make aren't as awkward as some recent efforts.