Ina Fried

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Microsoft Releases More Mobile Apps for Other People’s Devices

Microsoft on Monday released an iPad version of OneNote as well as versions of its Lync corporate communications program for iOS, Android and Symbian.

It’s part of the difficult balancing act facing Microsoft in mobile. While Redmond does its most extensive work for its own Windows Phone operating system (and did so for Windows Mobile before that), the company knows it can’t afford to ignore the more dominant operating systems.

Microsoft has a number of iOS apps, including PhotoSynth and Bing, among other titles. It recently added an Xbox Live app, though its features are considerably more narrow than the Xbox Live capabilities available on Windows Phone.

Android apps from Microsoft have been less common, though it does have a handful, including Halo Waypoint and a Chinese version of Bing.

In addition to bringing OneNote to the iPad, Microsoft is also updating the iPhone version and now plans to charge users once they have more than 500 notes on their mobile device.

The real question is when will Microsoft bite the bullet and deliver a full-fledged version of Office for a rival’s mobile platform. OneNote aside, Microsoft has continued to keep Office for itself rather than do a version of iOS or Android. The company has pledged to do a version for Symbian, as part of its broader tie-up with Nokia.

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Just as the atom bomb was the weapon that was supposed to render war obsolete, the Internet seems like capitalism’s ultimate feat of self-destructive genius, an economic doomsday device rendering it impossible for anyone to ever make a profit off anything again. It’s especially hopeless for those whose work is easily digitized and accessed free of charge.

— Author Tim Kreider on not getting paid for one’s work