Nilhan Jayasinghe » Microsoft

Is Google worried about the Microsoft takeover of Yahoo?

nilhan — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 22:28:43 +0000

I really wasn’t expecting this post on the official Google blog by David Drummond. He’s certainly not a fan of the deal and points out in no uncertain terms the need for openness and Microsoft’s dodgy past on the subject. I thought at least some of his comments could be considered a little over the top if not downright slanderous. If they didn’t actually have any substance I’d be expecting a law suit from Microsoft. Guess being Google’s Chief legal officer must mean he’s considered his words very carefully.

Will Yahoo! Accept Microsoft’s offer?

nilhan — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 20:14:19 +0000

After years of speculation, Microsoft has finally jumped in with what seems to be an offer too good to be true. The offer of $42 Billion which is 60% above the current share value makes it pretty serious and it doesn’t leave much room for a counter.

I’d be extremely surprised if Yahoo! turns this down, though in some ways I hope they do.

For many people in the advertising and marketing space, the partnership could provide a plausible contender for Google. And at least on paper the numbers add up. But if all we can expect is increased market share based purely on combining their current capital then I’m worried.

Capitalising trough integration is a big job, and I really hope at least Yahoo’s resent plans get some airtime. I had little faith in Microsoft’s search engine or their advertising product, and apart from the maps and video, I wasn’t sure if they really should have bothered entering this space in the first place.

Yahoo! is a different story, no one could deny their heritage and while they may have been spanked by Google, they have a strong userbase and social assets including flikr and delicious. It was a matter of bringing all this together – and over the last few months I believe they’ve making all the right noises for a comeback. I really hope we still get to see some of their ideas come to fruition.

Anything that reduces choice for the end user is got to be a bad thing unless we get some real innovation. I’m not holding my breath for that.

MediaCart and Microsoft to offer targeted advertising on shopping trolleys.

nilhan — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 23:38:23 +0000

Next generation shopping trolley to trial. I don’t know why this is making me feel uneasy. I mean all the technology has been available for many years and it all seems obvious – meant to happen – what took them so long?

An online shopping list accessible from the trolley. Nutritional information and possibly the eco credentials of my sausages. And of course, offers based on my shopping history…and my movements in the store – yes they can track you down the aisle using an RFID tag.

So, two people walking down the same aisles could be shown different offers, more expensive brands for the bigger spender and the unsecured personal loan deals for those on the shopbrand money savers.

I think the benefits will outweigh the potentially endlessly cynical ways marketers could use this technology – and most shoppers will be pushing around one of these before too long