Microsoft names new Operating Chief

Microsoft has named a senior Wal-Mart executive as its new chief operating officer, considered to be the third most senior role at the firm. Kevin Turner will take charge of the software operator's global sales, marketing and services activities. The post has been vacant since 2002 when Rick Belluzzo left the company following a reorganisation. Mr Turner will report to chief executive Steve Ballmer and chairman Bill Gates. Turner, 40, who has also served as chief information officer for Wal-Mart Stores Inc, parent of Sam's Club, will join Microsoft on September 8.Steve Bellmer, Microsoft chief executive, cited Turner's background in global technology, sales, marketing and services in announcing his appointment.The company yesterday said Kevin Johnson, current group vice president of worldwide sales, marketing and services, will work closely with Turner to ensure a smooth transition. He will continue in that role through Microsoft's fiscal quarter ending September 30.
Following the transition, Johnson will be named to a new senior executive role, Microsoft said. Sam's Club is a division of Wal-Mart operating membership-based warehouse shopping outlets.

Adidas buys rival Reebok

The American sports goods group Reebok is to be bought by its German rival Adidas for three-point-eight billion dollars. The deal, which must still be approved by shareholders, will help Adidas compete more effectively against the market leader Nike.Adidas and Reebok are two of the world's best known consumer brands, but they're in the shadow of Nike, the giant of the sports wear industry. This deal is intended to help them take on Nike. Adidas chairman Herbert Hainer described the planned deal as a once in a lifetime opportunity to combine two of the most respected and well known companies in the sector. But Reebok will continue to have a separate identity, retaining its name and its headquarters in the US state of Massachusetts. The enlarged company will have a fifth of the all important US market for sports shoes and clothes. The plan is to focus the two brands on different segments of the market. The German arm,Adidas, will continue its emphasis on goods for competitive sports while Reebok will be more of a youth and consumer lifestyle brand. Adidas pays a glittering array of celebrities including the footballer David Beckham and the rap musician Missy Elliot to endorse its products. Reebok has a different approach to marketing which makes less use of big name sponsorship.

Toyota Kirloskar mulls small car variant

TOYOTA Kirloskar Motor Pvt Ltd hopes to garner a 10 per cent share of the overall domestic market for cars by 2010. Towards this end, the company is open to the idea of embarking on the manufacture of a small car variant, according to Mr Toyohiko Ino, Director of Marketing, Toyota Kirloskar Motor Pvt Ltd. The proposed small car variant would be `market-driven' and belong to a new segment altogether. By 2010, the company hoped to sell 200,000 car units, which would account for around 10 per cent of the domestic market for cars at that time. According to Mr Ino, Toyota Kirloskar has a 36 per cent share of the market segment it is currently present in. "That makes Toyota the largest-selling car in the executive segment in India", he said. The company would break even in the current year, he said, adding that global sales of the Corolla stood at 1.2 million units in 2004. In India, sales of the Corolla in 2004 went up to 10,195 units, clocking a growth of 25 per cent over sales the previous year. As part of its customer-centric initiatives, Toyota has presented a pan-India `Top-of-the-World' offer for Corolla customers. Toyota customers who have bought the Corolla between June and July 2005 have a chance to win a holiday to a destination abroad through a lucky draw. Additionally, four couples will win a `Round-the World' trip each, Mr Ino said.

Virus writers set sights on Vista

Virus writers are working on ways of hacking Microsoft's new operating system known as Windows Vista.An Austrian programmer has published examples of malicious code that exploits loopholes in technology which could be part of Vista. The viruses affect Microsoft's command shell technology which is expected to replace the current command prompt. Vista, previously codenamed Longhorn, is due for release towards the end of 2006, half a decade after Windows XP.In 2004, Finnish security company F-Secure described the malicious code as proof-of-concept viruses to highlight potential vulnerabilities in Vista. In company's blog, F-Secure's director of anti-virus research, Mikko Hypponen said: "The case is interesting historically, as these are the first viruses for a totally new platform." The viruses target MSH (Microsoft Command Shell), the technology that Microsoft is looking to use in Vista. Security experts had warned about the possibility of virus writers exploiting MSH in 2004. But it is unclear whether the technology will make it into the final version of Vista. "It has lately been rumored that MSH might not ship with Vista at all," said Mr. Hypponen. "Instead [it] might be part of Microsoft Exchange 2006 or something. We won't know for sure until later." Microsoft's flagship Windows software already runs on about 90% of personal computers worldwide. The firm has promised that Vista will take what for Microsoft is a completely new approach to computing, with security not an add-on but an integral part of the operating system.

Yahoo to search audio files : Songs, podcasts, online interviews can be accessed

Yahoo Inc. introduced a search engine for audio files late Wednesday that allows users to scour the Web for music, podcasts and interviews. The engine, released in a test version, will make Yahoo the first major Web site to search such a wide breadth of audio files, an increasingly popular form of online media. "I think it's an important development," said Phil Leigh, president of Inside Digital Media Inc., a Tampa, Fla., technology consulting company. "Of course, the devil will be in the details of how well it works. Beyond a shadow of a doubt, digital media is an important part of what people want on the Internet." Yahoo's audio search, available at audio.search.yahoo.com, offers three different categories of files: music, podcasts and other. Users who enter queries are given links to Web pages where the audio files can be downloaded. The contents of the audio files aren't actually searchable. Instead, the engine scans any text on the same page as the file, which often signals what the audio is about. In the case of music, users who type in the query "Coldplay," the popular British rock band, get a discography, sample clips and news. They also get the option to buy Coldplay songs through seven online vendors, including Yahoo's proprietary services and partners such as iTunes, Napster and RealNetwork's Rhapsody.
Sunnyvale's Yahoo will get a commission on every song sold through its partners. Advertising has yet to be incorporated into the site. Searching podcasts provides access one of the hottest things on the Internet: audio files ranging from amateur rantings to professional radio stations that can be downloaded and listened to on computers or digital music players.
In all, Yahoo's audio search index includes 50 million audio files, though some are duplicates. Late last year, Yahoo introduced a video search engine that connects users with everything from newscasts to music videos to science programs. Several search engines already scour parts of the online audio universe, including America Online's Singingfish, MP3.com and Blinkx. But none has woven them together to the extent Yahoo has with such a large index. Google Inc., a fierce competitor to Yahoo, plans to expand into audio search as well, according to two people who have been briefed on the matter and who asked to remain anonymous to maintain business relations with the search company. They said no date for the release has been discussed. Google has been considering the audio search engine for at least a year, according to a letter from the Securities and Exchange Commission obtained by The Chronicle in an open-records request. In the letter, from last year, an assistant director from the regulatory agency refers to Google's plans for an audio search engine and asks for more information.