Microsoft on Thursday said third quarter revenue was up 18% year-over-year to $20.49 billion. “However, when you take into account recognition of revenue related to Microsoft's Windows 8 upgrade offer, things look a bit different,” The Verge reports. “Adjusted revenue of $18.8 billion is only up eight percent over the year-ago quarter.” 

Twitter has partnered with BBC America to offer what the network is calling the first "in-tweet branded video synced to entertainment TV series." Translation? “Presumably, the tweeted video would be companion content to the programming that appears on the network, with the partners driving traffic to each other,” CNet suggests. Either way, “It looks like Twitter is ready to make its rumored foray into the TV business.” 

Taking on Apple and Samsung, Evernote wants a piece of the hardware business. Yes, the popular note-taking app maker is planning to release branded hardware with various partners, Phil Libin, Evernote’s CEO, tells the IDG News Service in Tokyo. “We won't actually do the manufacturing, but we'll do the co-design together," Libin tells IDG. “Eventually, in a few years -- three, four, five -- I think we'll be ready to do something ourselves.” 

Hulu has reportedly hired Guggenheim Partners to advise on a sale of the company. The problem? “The financial services firm is considering making its own bid for the video streaming service,” Reuters reports. Bigger picture, “Securities experts say financial services firms are increasingly both advising on and participating in deals as they become larger and expand into more areas.” 

As if Google’s Glass project wasn’t farfetched enough, the company is actually forbidding early owners of the $1,500 eyewear from selling or loaning them out. “Welcome to the New World, one in which companies are retaining control of their products even after consumers purchase them,” Wired.com writes. 

As was widely expected, Twitter officially launched its #Music service on Thursday. “It does what you might expect from a music app from Twitter,” ABCNews.com reports. “It helps you find music that's popular on Twitter and music based on the bands you follow.” Twitter has also integrated current music services like Rdio, Spotify and iTunes to allow users to play the songs right through the new app. 

How is Google’s Chromebook doing? Judging by some the latest usage statistics, not very well. In its first week of monitoring worldwide usage of Google's Chrome OS, NetMarketShare reports that the percentage of Web traffic from Chromebooks was roughly 1% -- a figure too small to earn a place on its reports. As such, it looks like the Chromebook “has fallen victim to the same malaise that’s affected Windows PCs and Macs,” ZDNet reasons. 

Wildfire this week announced its first major strategic shift since being acquiring by Google, last summer. This social marketing software develper is cutting off standalone campaigns, which, according to TechCrunch, “were a hallmark of its tiered offerings.” Why? “Basically, Google now wants [customers] to purchase the full suite, which starts at $2,500 a month,” TechCrunch writes, citing an online comment from a member of the Wildfire team.

Facebook has reportedly poached Apple’s mobile mapping head, Richard Williamson. A member of Apple’s original iPhone team, Williamson led Apple’s mapping efforts. “Williamson joined Facebook in the past couple of weeks to be a manager within its expanding mobile-software group,” Bloomberg reports, citing sources.

The Senate unveiled a new immigration bill on Tuesday, which is backed by President Barack Obama, and would nearly double the quota for H-1B visas for skilled workers. As Reuters reports, tech industry officials welcomed the bill, “while laying the groundwork to renegotiate portions they oppose.” Of note, the bill does not propose raising the number of H-1B visas to the industry’s stated goal of 300,000.