Microsoft announced plans for new offices in Seattle's South Lake Union area a year ago. They're open now. According to photos from Microspotting — a PR blog for Microsoft human resources written by Ariel Meadow Stallings, who describes herself as "the person you thought would never work at MSFT" — they look pretty Googley. There's a red room and a blue room, for example. And the Microsofties have one trump card over the Googleplex: Minutes from downtown Seattle, South Lake Union is a much better location than an office park off 101. Check out the slide show below.

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