VMware Bounces Back, Expands in India

• By Lafe Low
• 03/26/2008

Competitive concerns with Microsoft have dogged the virtualization virtuoso, but as the hypervisor battleground heats up -- a battleground in which many say VMware's entry is superior -- that ought to help the somewhat beleaguered company.

It may have also been bolstered by news of its deepening foray into India. VMware recently announced it would be investing $100 million over the next two years to increase its research and development efforts. As part of those efforts, it will double its workforce in the country to 1,000 and open a new facility in Bangalore. Most of VMware's Indian employees are directly involved in development.

What's your take on the forthcoming virtualization battles? Are you using virtualization yet? If so, which tools? If not, any plans? Check and let me know at [email protected].

And if virtualization is on your mind, be sure to check out our new virtualization site at VirtualizationReview.com.

Google on TV?
Welcome to WGTV, all Google, all the time. OK, maybe not. Google does, however, hope to run its services over unused television airwaves.

In a recent proposal to the Federal Communications Commission, Google recommends letting wireless Internet devices use this vacant bandwidth -- also known as white space -- to provide greater access for mobile devices. This would greatly increase access, especially to areas that clearly receive television signals but are lacking in wireless Internet access. Currently, approximately 5 percent of the white space is being used.

The plans coincide with the forthcoming shift to digital signals for television broadcast, which starts next year. Google, Microsoft and others have formed a group that's trying to convince the FCC to free up those airwaves for unlicensed use after television broadcasters switch over. The White Spaces Coalition, as it's called, also includes Intel and Dell.

"Google is a strong believer in the potential of this spectrum to bring Internet access to more Americans," said Rick Whitt, a Google attorney, in a conference call to press and analysts discussing the proposal.

In other Google news, co-founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page and CEO Eric Schmidt have added to their considerable fortunes. They each just took home their customary annual salary of $1. Their real nest eggs (their stock holdings), while still sufficient to cook omelets for most of the Western hemisphere, have taken a hit lately as analysts cast a skeptical eye on the moneymaking juggernaut.

How do you think this unused television bandwidth should be used? Wireless access for all or more lame reality shows? Use all the bandwidth you want to let me know at [email protected].

Yahoo Opens Up
Yahoo has joined the OpenSocial Foundation, an industry alliance charged with facilitating development of software to run on social networks and Web sites -- an alliance over which Yahoo archrival Google just ceded control.

As Yahoo joins the foundation, control of the group will be turned over to a nonprofit organization. The goals of the group remain the same: to develop standards through which developers can write programs to run on social network sites. These would improve the user experience by helping link them to others with similar interests, share such interests and other social networking types of activities. Increasing the user appeal also increases the advertiser appeal, which makes all the social networking sites more valuable.

The foundation that will ultimately control and steer the OpenSocial Foundation will be officially created and launched within the next 90 days. During a conference call announcing the news, Google and Yahoo reps said that the new structure will "ensure the neutrality and longevity of OpenSocial as an open, community-governed specification for building social applications across the Web."

Are Google and Yahoo trying to be all things to all people, or going after ad dollars anywhere they can? Smart move or spreading themselves too thin? Network with me at [email protected].