Bill Gates, Microsoft's chairman and chief software architect, predicts that companies will look even more closely at the benefits of digital technology during a recession
In the wake of the dotcom meltdown and terrorist attacks, and among 2002's economic miseries, all the excitement about the personal computer and Internet revolution of the 1990s can seem like a distant memory. While the enthusiasm over the digital revolution has been overshadowed by recent events, its significance has not. The phenomenon that made digital technology an essential part of the workplace, home and classroom is not subject to fashion. The digital future is more important than ever.
Intel is planning the stealth introduction of a chipset that will let computer makers connect the Pentium 4 to speedy DDR (double data rate) memory. Intel will allow PC makers to quietly begin taking orders for computers fitted with a new version of its 845 chipset Dec. 17, CNET News.com has learned. The official announcement of the chipset and the corresponding fanfare won't come until early January.
The new chipset, a variation on the Intel 845 introduced in September, is a significant move for the company. DDR SDRAM is a faster version of synchronous dynamic RAM, the standard system memory used in desktop PCs. Like standard memory, DDR SDRAM costs less than memory based on designs from Rambus, called RDRAM.
Microsoft is sprucing up its software for planning and managing projects. The Redmond, Wash.-based company on Tuesday released a public test version of Microsoft Project 2002, software that allows businesses to plan and administer projects. It lets workers build schedules, set deadlines and track the progress of product launches, construction projects and other tasks. The Project 2002 software is part of Microsoft's Office family of products and competes against several software makers that build project management software, including Artemis International Solutions and Primavera.
Microsoft next year plans to update Windows XP to support two technologies left out of the new operating system: USB 2.0 and Bluetooth. Both technologies are used for connecting peripherals to PCs, USB 2.0 at speeds up to 480 megabits per second (mbps) and Bluetooth over the air without wires. USB 2.0 support is expected early next year, and the Bluetooth addition should come by mid-2002.
Redmond, Wash.-based Microsoft passed on including the two technologies in the first shipping version of Windows XP in favor of two others: IEEE 1394, also known as FireWire, a standard championed by Apple Computer, and 802.11b, which is used for wireless networking.
At Streaming Media East 2001 this week, Microsoft will unveil a new add-on called the Windows Media Bonus Pack for Windows XP, which includes a number of new tools and enhancements for the Windows Media technologies in XP. The Bonus Pack will be available later this month as a free download from the Microsoft Web site; attendees of Streaming Media East can pick it up on CD-ROM this week at the show.
The Windows Media Bonus Pack for Windows XP includes the following: Plus! MP3 Audio Converter LE, Windows Media Player for Windows XP (MPXP) Powertoys, New MPXP Visualizations, New MPXP Skins, Windows Movie Maker (WMM) Creativity Kit, Special Offers.
Microsoft group vice president Jim Allchin, the man most directly in charge of Windows XP, said last week that the company was "very happy" with sales of the new OS, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal (WSJ). Allchin declined to provide specific sales figures, but noted that Microsoft was forced to ship extra copies of XP out to certain stores that had immediately sold out in the days following its October 25 debut. Allchin noted that more specific sales figures would be released next month. "I'm very happy with where we're at, [especially] in the midst of this economy," Allchin said.
Linux backers have one less thing to crow about this week: The Queen of England's Web site switched from the open-source platform to Windows. Previously, the site had switched from Solaris to Linux, citing Linux's lower costs and performance. But the switch to Windows and Microsoft IIS probably represents similar thinking, not to mention the richer and more mature possibilities for Web design and development.
From WinInfo Short Takes: Week of December 10
New Product Builds Upon Market-Leading Offerings to Provide Finance Industry With Customizable Internet Tools
Today at BAI's Retail Delivery 2001 Conference, Microsoft Corp. announced Money Explorer, a browser-enabled product created specifically for the financial services industry. Combining the flexibility of Microsoft Internet Explorer with Microsoft's sophisticated personal financial management tools, Money Explorer enables financial institutions to provide their customers with improved online functionality and a best-of-breed customer offering.
Dealerpoint.Net's Globalized Platform Enables Ford Dealers to Manage All Types Of Sales Leads, Ultimately Increasing Consumer Satisfaction and Vehicle Sales
Microsoft Dealerpoint.Net, the leading lead management system (LMS) provider for the automotive industry in the United States, marketed via the Carpoint® online automotive service, today announced the deployment of Ford Motor Co.'s private-label version, Salespoint, to more than 800 Ford dealers in the United Kingdom. Hosted out of Ford's e-commerce center in the United Kingdom, Dealerpoint.Net's localized version provides Ford dealers with the Web-based tools and technology they need to quickly respond to car buyers, and track and manage their Internet and offline sales leads.
Microsoft Previews the Next Version of Windows Media Technologies, Code-Named "Corona". "Corona" to Power the Third Generation of Streaming on the Web, Delivering Instant-On, Always-On Streaming and Bringing Home-Theater-Like Audio and Video Quality To Broadband Users.
In a keynote address today at Streaming Media East 2001, Will Poole, vice president of the Windows Digital Media Division at Microsoft Corp., addressed the role of digital media in re-energizing the market for Web-based services and previewed the first third-generation streaming platform technologies that will be included in the next version of the Microsoft Windows Media Technologies, code-named "Corona." Poole demonstrated how "Corona" dramatically improves Internet streaming by introducing Fast Stream, which gives an instant-on, always-on experience, bringing home-theater-like audio and video quality to broadband PC users. Far surpassing the capabilities of any other similar technology, "Corona" is poised to lead the third generation of streaming on the Web, which Poole defined to include broadcast-quality experiences for end users and enhanced profitability for the entire digital media ecosystem.