2012 was a momentous year for Microsoft, building its devices and services foundation for the year to come. The company introduced the world to Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8, its family of Surface PCs, a new version of Microsoft Office and “Halo 4,” Microsoft celebrates "a steady rhythm of advancements across its most popular products for individuals and businesses" throughout 2012. See more in the video below and slideshow, and don't miss Bing's top searches of 2012.Continue reading...

Add product placements to that old adage about how laws and sausages are made. You really don't want to know. However, The New York Times recently offered a fascinating account of a product placement specialist pursuing branding opportunities in a screenplay, a thriller, titled The 28th Amendment.

The article details just how integral brand placement has become in the early stages of film and TV development. If you are pro-product placement, the account will be pleasantly reassuring with statements such as, "Writers say [early involvement] helps them work in brands gracefully, rather than finding out later that studio executives have jammed in products at the last minute."Continue reading...