Those of us who own netbooks are familiar with Intel's Atom processor, the little chip that powers the little computers without actually using that much power. Well, a start-up called SeaMicro has produced a server that features 512 Atom processors and is supposed to save power consumption by 75 percent, whatever that really means. SeaMicro's backers? Venture capitalists, naturally…and the US Department of Energy. Â
Posted by Lee Pender on 06/14/2010 at 1:23 PM0 comments
More specifically, the magnificent Mary Jo Foley tells us that Microsoft could be running 85 to 90 percent of its own applications in the cloud within five to 10 years. (That's according to Microsoft, naturally.) It's an ambitious plan…but we'll believe it when we see it.
Posted by Lee Pender on 06/10/2010 at 1:23 PM3 comments
Riverbed Technology, in case you haven't heard of it, is a pretty darn interesting company that produces applications for improving IT performance, specifically network performance. Riverbed this week launched RiOS 6.1, the latest version of its Wide Area Network performance booster.
One of the grande benefits of RiOS (thank you, thank you) is the ability to deploy Exchange over a WAN without the messaging software running like a river of molasses. It also boosts upgrades to Exchange 2010, Joe Ghory, senior product marketing manager at Riverbed, told RCPU over lunch in Framingham recently. "It gives you the ability to upgrade without performance being a concern," Ghory said.
RiOS 6.1 does a slew of other stuff, too -- there's more on it here.
Posted by Lee Pender on 06/10/2010 at 1:23 PM0 comments
When the news hole is gaping, journalists and pundits start filling it with whatever they can find. (Believe us, we know.) So, with iPhone 4 registering a solid "meh" on the excitement scale and Tech-Ed producing not a whole lot of news this week, the rumor mill sputtered back into action.
That's always bad news for poor Steve Ballmer, whose job always seems to be at risk (although we really don't think that it is) whenever there's nothing more high-profile to discuss. So, this week, like clockwork, the speculation about the possible end of Ballmer's reign as Microsoft CEO has cranked itself up again.
We're pretty sure that it's all bunk and Ballmer isn't going anywhere -- and probably shouldn't actually -- but we did enjoy one take on who should replace him, as well as the notion in the same article that Windows and Office "are being assaulted by Apple and Google." Oh yes, assaulted. One of those products might actually drop below 90-something percent market share someday. Tragedy!
Anyway, the best part about the San Francisco Chronicle's list of potential Ballmer replacements is that your editor is just about the only person in the industry who's not on it. Seriously, who are some of these people? And would they really be able to run Microsoft? Well, some might -- but most wouldn't. And it's probably a moot point anyway. But, hey, it's fun to put ol' Steve in the crosshairs from time to time, right? Whatever…
Also this week, and from the same source, the rumor sprang up that Microsoft might be looking to buy AOL, or, more precisely, that AOL might be shopping itself to Microsoft.
Wait…what? AOL? Really? That service that people 70 and older used to use for e-mail? Gosh, we didn't even know that it still existed. Does that mean CompuServe is still around? Now, there was an Internet provider. Anyway, we're not sure whether Microsoft will buy AOL, but we're not holding our breath. The Microsoft-Yahoo buyout rumor lived for years before Microsoft tried to buy the company…and failed. So we'll probably be back here again next time there's a slow week. That's how it works.
And while we're on the subject of randomness, let's unleash a reader e-mail about, oh, say, the Zune. Michael writes:
"I saw your 'joke' about Zune on the blog. [Quick editor's note: We've made fun of Zune so often on here that we don't remember which joke Michael's referring to here…] What I can't figure out is why so many people on your website are against it?
I owned two iPods, and I now own 4 Zune devices. The subscription plan is great, and the Zune HD is as good, if not better, than the iPod touch. I know a lot of people with iPods who love my Zune after they check it out. It also integrates much better with Windows Media Player. It is also nice that you get ten free songs per month that you own.
In any event, the only downside to the Zune is that it is tough to get devices. But, there is a new Kicker device, which is great for playing music at home.
I just thought I'd let you know that not everyone thinks that Zune is a joke."
Michael, thanks for your e-mail. It's not that we think that the Zune itself is a joke. It's a fine device -- and, frankly, your editor is a little miffed that his iPod crapped out recently, this time probably for good. You wrapped things up perfectly, though, when you said that iPod owners love your Zune after they check it out.
How many people bother to check it out in the first place? Not too many. Why? Because it's uncool. Almost everything Microsoft does is uncool. Sure, the Zune might be a better device than the iPod. But cooler trumps better in consumer electronics almost every time. And that's Microsoft's problem.
Have you heard any good rumors about Microsoft lately? Want to praise or bash the Zune? Feel like rambling? Send your thoughts to [email protected]. We've had some truly spectacular reader e-mails lately (thanks to Jeff and Matt in particular) -- so good (and long), in fact, that we're not quite sure what to do with them. We'll figure something out, though. Stay tuned.
Posted by Lee Pender on 06/10/2010 at 1:23 PM0 comments
Shouldn't this be a bigger deal? Microsoft, all in for the cloud these days and all that, finally flips the switch on a free, Web-based version of Office, and it gets the same treatment news-wise as tomorrow's elementary-school lunch menu. (We're hearing hot dogs and tater tots, by the way. But that's unconfirmed.)
OK, so we all knew that it was coming. But it seems like kind of a shame that Redmond chose not to give OWA (doesn't that sound like a rapper's name or something?) a more prestigious debut. This is, after all, the long-awaited free version of Office that will challenge Google's growing Google Apps franchise and will make Microsoft a serious player in the mainstream cloud-computing business. Right?
Not only that, but in our (extremely limited) experience, OWA actually looks pretty darn good. At first glance, it seems a lot more robust than Google Apps -- which your editor uses every day. So, Microsoft really seems to be on to something here, but it's playing the whole thing in a rather nonchalant manner.
Be chalant, Microsoft! Or something…you know what we mean. We realize that Redmond is probably trying to figure out how to build a user base for OWA without killing the Office cash cow, but here at RCPU, we use both Web-based and client-based "productivity" (no jokes, please…) software every day. So, it's not a zero-sum game by any means. And the birth of OWA shouldn't be a zero-news announcement, either. That's why we're writing about it here…
What are your first impressions of OWA? Send them to [email protected].
Posted by Lee Pender on 06/09/2010 at 1:23 PM0 comments
So, we've complained that Tech-Ed hasn't brought much out in the way of news, but it really is a show about education (supposedly) and not so much about new stuff. Still, Tech-Ed hasn't passed this week completely news-free. RCPU officemate and superb journalist Kathleen Richards offers some information on Microsoft's cloud related announcements from the show for us.
Posted by Lee Pender on 06/09/2010 at 1:23 PM0 comments
Redmond magazine columnist Mary Jo Foley has a pretty darn comprehensive look at what Microsoft is talking about including in OCS 14, its PBX alternative.
Posted by Lee Pender on 06/09/2010 at 1:23 PM0 comments
Just as the creative force behind most international soccer teams wears the number 10, so will Microsoft release 10 patches tomorrow, perhaps in honor of the World Cup, which starts later this week. Yes, that was all one sentence.
Posted by Lee Pender on 06/07/2010 at 1:23 PM0 comments
Maybe we media types really don't have anything better to do with our time. This week, two of the biggest vendors in the technology industry are going head to head with conferences, leading us to produce tons of articles about…not much, really.
Oh, sure, there's the new iPhone. Apple, the new king of technology, unveiled it today at its Worldwide Developers Conference. The new wonder device is smaller, faster...and a bit underwhelming, apparently. iPhone 4 didn't really surprise anybody -- although it looks impressive enough -- and Apple's share price actually fell almost two percent today. Welcome to the world of high expectations, Apple. It's not enough to impress anymore. You have to blow people away.
That's something Microsoft didn't do today, either, as it opened Tech-Ed in New Orleans. There was a bit of news about Service Pack 1 for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 (due in July), and apparently the folks in Redmond tried to convince attendees in New Orleans that Windows Phone 7 will have some sort of practical application for business.
Mostly, though, today's conference showdown added up to a dud of a duel. Maybe the next few days will bring more news, but probably not -- the days of really big launches at conferences have mostly passed. Shows are almost all about networking now and about setting up sales meetings, golf outings and trips to local bars. And that's fine -- it's just not very exciting for those of us who aren't in attendance.
Have you heard anything from Tech-Ed or WWDC that excites you? If so, lay it on us at [email protected].
Posted by Lee Pender on 06/07/2010 at 1:23 PM0 comments
Finally, some news from a conference. But it's not from Tech-Ed; Microsoft released the latest version of its Web-design tool at a show in New York today. Â Â Â
Posted by Lee Pender on 06/07/2010 at 1:23 PM0 comments
The third-best browser (at best) on the market finally stopped its market-share slide in May, actually picking up a bit of share at the expense of Firefox and Chrome. Why? We have no idea.
Posted by Lee Pender on 06/03/2010 at 1:23 PM1 comments
A popular Microsoft rebate offer is back for June, which just happens to be the last month of Microsoft's fiscal year. Scott Bekker has details here.
Posted by Lee Pender on 06/03/2010 at 1:23 PM0 comments