Android 4.4 "KitKat"

BBC News - Android KitKat unveiled in Google surprise move

The news comes as a surprise as the firm had previously indicated version 4.4 of the OS would be Key Lime Pie.

Best tablets lists

The Tablet Show, show 100 (review of 2 years of tablets)

Best tablets - CNET Reviews:

• Your first choice: Apple iPad (4th generation)
• The best small tablet: Google Nexus 7 (16GB, 2013)
• Best media consumption tablet: Amazon Kindle Fire HD 8.9
• Best premium Android tablet: Google Nexus 10
• Best tablet value:  Barnes & Noble Nook HD+
• Most innovative tablet interface: Samsung Galaxy Note 8 (White)
• Best productivity tablet: Microsoft Surface with Windows 8 Pro (64GB)

Who Forced Microsoft Change?

ValueAct Hedge Fund's Huge Microsoft Victory - Forbes:
"Despite owning a mere 0.8% stake in Microsoft, ValueAct Capital Management has forced its way onto the board of the software giant days after longtime Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer announced he would be quitting within a year
...
hedge fund wants Microsoft to become more of an enterprise software and business services company as opposed to one focused on the retail consumer."

Microsoft to buy Nokia "devices and services" for $7.2B

Microsoft Enters Into $7.2B Deal To Buy Nokia’s Devices And Services Business And License Its Patents | TechCrunch


Also as part of the deal, Nokia’s CEO Stephen Elop will be stepping aside as Nokia President and CEO to fill a new role at Microsoft as “Nokia Executive Vice President of Devices & Services.” Being that Elop has emerged as a leading rumored contender for the soon-to-be-vacant spot at the helm of Microsoft, this could be a strong signal about the future of Microsoft’s executive leadership.

@zdnet Under the terms of the deal, Microsoft will acquire around 32,000 people Nokia employees, including 4,700 people in Finland and 18,300 employees directly involved in the manufacture, assembly, and production of devices worldwide. Nokia will also assign its long-term patent licensing agreement with Qualcomm, a smartphone chip maker, and licensing agreements, to Microsoft as part of the deal.

Next in line: Blackberry...

Compiling MSIL to JS

Google is using GWT (Google Web Toolkit), that is compiling Java to JavaScript.
Some prominent people in Microsoft have been developing similar system for .NET, and apparently that is now abandoned.
Instead, a new language TypeScript is developed
(by other prominent Microsoft people :)

From the Archives: Erik Meijer and Mark Shields - Compiling MSIL to JS | Charles | Channel 9:
"today it lives here I believe https://github.com/Reactive-Extensions/IL2JS
...
This was open-sourced. Mark and Erik no longer work at MS and so this project is no longer alive inside MS."

Success of projects, in particular in Microsoft, is tricky...
It at least as much "sales and marketing" skills as the technical excellence...