Microsoft is now a lot cooler in the eyes of consumers from the 18 to 29 age group than it was only recently, according to a Reuters poll. So cool is Microsoft that it manages to rate above Facebook and Twitter for the first time in years.

The poll in question involved 853 persons with a tech-savvy mindset, who were asked to describe how cool is a particular company now compared to recent times. When the smoked cleared, 50 percent of the 853 respondents thought Microsoft was cooler now than before. Forty-seven percent believe Twitter is cool while the other 42 percent goes to the leading social network, Facebook.

For a company that has been on the down low in the mobile and tablet department, what could possibly increase its cool meter to 50 percent? It might be the Xbox 360, a console that went from being an underdog to one of the best-selling home video game devices of all time. Next, it could be the Surface tablet, the first set of tablet devices from Microsoft that appears to be a true alternative to the Apple iPad.

It also is likely due to the newly released Windows Phone 8, which brought many new features to a platform that was significantly underperforming. If that's not it, how about Kinect? You know, that motion-gaming camera that was released back in 2010 and managed to sell over 24 million units to date.

On the flip side, it could be a combination of everything mentioned above.

For those who are interested, Google's Android sits on top with 70 percent and Apple a close second with 60 percent.

According to Reuters, "Josh Johnson, a 24-year-old media arts student at the University of South Carolina and self-professed gaming aficionado, said he has been impressed with Microsoft's consumer-oriented push with Windows 8."

"It's more customizable, and not as rigid as an Apple phone, where you have to buy all the products from Apple," Johnson said. "If you want a ringtone, you don't have to pay iTunes," Josh says.

Whatever Microsoft is doing, it seems to be paying off. With a little bit more work, the company might be seen as cool as Android and Apple, but that may take some time.