Microsoft Gets Its Storage On
It's funny how things work sometimes. You wake up in the morning thinking you're
just going to be editing today's Redmond Report, then all the sudden you're
writing it! Never fear: Doug will be back tomorrow. In the meantime, feel free
to send any flames directly to me at
[email protected].
Microsoft
announced progress on its "universal distributed storage" vision
today. Most notably, Microsoft Storage Server 2003 R2 is on track and will be
released to OEMs by the end of the year, coming to consumers around March. So
far, six storage OEMs have earned the company's new "Simple SAN for Windows
Server" seal of approval, and Redmond will also be working with PolyServe
to offer companies discounted storage consolidation consulting.
Ozzie Praises Apple
Everyone really does love Apple's iPod -- including Microsoft's new CTO, Ray
Ozzie. Yesterday at a technical conference, he called the device a "perfect
example" of a product that combines software, hardware and services
to give consumers exactly what they want.
While Microsoft isn't one to jump into hardware on the computing side, it has
branched out into consumer electronics before with the Xbox. Given the company's
penchant for taking what it likes and making it its own -- as well as its seemingly
unending quest to become a major player in all technology areas -- is an "XPod"
really that far-fetched a possibility?
Microsoft Cozies Up with Yahoo! Again
Speaking of that unending quest, today Microsoft announced
that it will compete head-to-head with rival Google in the world of online book
search. When MSN Book Search launches next year, it will use content from the
Open Content Alliance, which already counts Yahoo! as a sponsor. Microsoft will
pay to have 150,000 books scanned for the project; Yahoo has pledged enough
for 18,000.
Yahoo! and Microsoft announced earlier this month that they will work together
on making their IM clients compatible. While romance may exactly be blooming,
the two (former?) rivals do seem willing to at least hold hands when the need
arises.
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BlackBerrys Closer to Being Squashed?
Today the Supreme Court declined
to hear an emergency appeal from Research in Motion to stay a 2002 finding
that the devices violate wireless e-mail patents held by NTT. The ruling allows
the suit to continue for now, although the Court could still decide to hear
the case on its own time. A settlement between the two parties is also a possibility.
It seems to be a rejection-filled week for Research in Motion: The BBC just
announced
it has instructed its staff to stop using their BlackBerrys due to a software
flaw.
About the Author
Becky Nagel is the former editorial director and director of Web for 1105 Media's Converge 360 group, and she now serves as vice president of AI for company, specializing in developing media, events and training for companies around AI and generative AI technology. She's the author of "ChatGPT Prompt 101 Guide for Business Users" and other popular AI resources with a real-world business perspective. She regularly speaks, writes and develops content around AI, generative AI and other business tech. Find her on X/Twitter @beckynagel.