Microsoft poaches Prudential analyst

Microsoft has tapped a Wall Street expert to lead its Media & Entertainment Group. As general manager of the group, Katherine Styponias will spearhead relationships with major content suppliers. Styponias comes to the Redmond computer behemoth from Prudential Equity Group in New York. One industry watcher noted [1] that Styponias has her work cut out for her, given the lackluster results of Microsoft's IPTV efforts. Gamers continue to wait for Xbox 360 consoles with IPTV capability five years after two Microsoft engineers made a prototype [2]. According to research from The Diffusion Group, souped-up game consoles represent the next wave of multimedia devices, if people can figure them out. 

Read more on this:
- the Microsoft party line on Styponias is available here [3]
- the Diffusion Group posted a summary [4] of its research