Microsoft Corporation Presents at 24th Annual High Performance Computing and Communications Conference, Mar-17-2010. Venue: Hyatt Regency, Newport, Rhode Island, United States. Speakers: Dave Rich.

Motorola Inc. announced a global alliance with Microsoft Corp. to deploy Bing services on Motorola devices powered by Android. This new offering, launching in China on smartphones in first quarter, will provide consumers a choice when using search and map functions on their Android-based devices. With this collaboration, consumers will enjoy a pre-loaded Bing bookmark on their mobile browser and an enhanced search widget with Bing integration. By enabling users to customize their devices and select their own Search provider, Motorola, with help from Microsoft, is expanding the capabilities and range of services currently offered in the marketplace and opening the doors for increased personalization. Search and Maps capabilities through Microsoft will initially be available in China, starting in first quarter 2010, through either pre-load or over-the-air updates for devices already in market.

A B.C. judge has certified a class action lawsuit against Microsoft that could affect hundreds of thousands of people who have bought personal computers containing Microsoft software in the past 16 years. The representative plaintiffs a small Richmond computer-consultant company named Pro-Sys Consultants Ltd. and a Vancouver engineer named Neil Godfrey allege that the software giant engaged in predatory, "anti-competitive" activity in virtually wiping out the competition. They say that, when Microsoft eliminated the competition, it was able to hike licensing fees embedded in the costs of computers containing their software. Some of the licenses jumped from $5 to $25. Microsoft argued that a class-action suit was not the proper vehicle for the case to be heard, but B.C. Supreme Court Justice Elliott Myers rejected that argument and ordered that the case be certified as a class action. The proposed class members are indirect purchasers who bought their Microsoft software after Jan. 1, 1994, from resellers, who in turn either bought it directly from Microsoft or from another reseller. The PC software affected includes Windows, Word, Excel, Office, Works Suite and Home Essentials. The Washington state-based company, which has been forced to pay out large settlements for similar cases in the U.S., including a $1.1 billion settlement in California, could not be reached for comment.