departures

MSN executive departs for online ad agency

Joanne Bradford, who has headed the advertising sales efforts around MSN, is leaving the software maker to head to Los Angeles-based ad agency Spot Runner, where she will be executive vice president.

Bradford, who has been at Microsoft for six and a half years, was the company's public face last May at its annual Strategic Account Summit, where Microsoft met with MSN's largest advertisers.

"We wish Joanne Bradford all the best as she moves to Spot Runner," Microsoft Senior Vice President Satya Nadella said in a statement. "We thank her for her many contributions in … Read more

Microsoft fires its CIO

Microsoft fired Chief Information Officer Stuart Scott on Friday after two years with the company, saying he violated company policies. The software maker did not specify which policies.

"We can confirm that Stuart Scott was terminated after an investigation for violation of company policies," a Microsoft representative said in an e-mailed statement. Microsoft said that two executives--General Manager Shahla Aly and Corporate Vice President Alain Crozier--will assume Scott's responsibilities until a replacement is identified.

Microsoft declined to comment further on Scott's departure, which was noted earlier Tuesday by ZDNet blogger Mary Jo Foley. Microsoft also noted on its corporate Web site that Scott has left. … Read more

Photos: 2008 Infiniti EX35

Japanese car makers continue to keep us in work here at CNET car tech. Just when you thought that today's models had as much gadgetry onboard as possible, along comes Infiniti with its 2008 EX35, a model that introduces two brand new car technology features. The EX35 is the first production car to come with Around View Monitor, a camera-based parking aid that gives drivers a top-down surround view of the car and any obstacles in its vicinity. It is also the first car in the United States to come with a nonemergency active safety feature in the form … Read more

High-tech for Volvo S80, V70, XC70

Five new high-tech features will be available on Volvo's S80, V70 and XC70 models by the end of the year, the company announced Tuesday.

The Swedish company joins the ranks of several automakers who are bringing high-tech features to even the most budget models.

Volvo's most interesting feature may be a new take on monitoring driver behavior.

Driver Alert Control, as Volvo calls it, uses a camera and sensors to monitor a car's general behavior in terms of speed and staying in lane, not the driver's behavior within a cockpit. If, through a combination of factors, … Read more

Good vibrations for new BMW drivers

Drivers of the new BMW 5 series will have the option of an extra tech safety device to ensure that they make it to the boardroom meeting in one piece. The 2008 5 series, which will make its official debut at this week's Geneva auto show, will come with the intelligent Lane Departure Warning system (LDW), which will warn drivers if they are about to cross over a lane-dividing line without using their turn signal.

Rather than sounding a chime or flashing a light on the dashboard (a la the system in the 2007 Infiniti M35 Sport), the BMW … Read more