Google,IBM,Microsoft,Verisign and Yahoo Join OpenID

The OpenID Foundation today announced that Google (Nasdaq:GOOG), IBM (NYSE: IBM), Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT), Verisign (Nasdaq:VRSN) and Yahoo! (Nasdaq: YHOO) have joined as its first corporate board members.

With these companies’ deep expertise in Internet and security technology, the OpenID Foundation strengthens the industrywide effort to empower users with portable Web identities, or OpenIDs. This effort helps ensure the evolution of an open and interoperable Internet that helps people take control of how their personal information is used online and helps online businesses attract and retain more users by simplifying and securing the management of digital identities.

The OpenID Foundation was formed in June 2007 to support and promote the technology developed by the OpenID community. Members include individuals, students, nonprofits, startups and industry giants that have come together to develop and promote open identity management on the Web.

OpenID is free technology that simplifies the online user experience by eliminating the need for multiple user names across Internet sites, enabling individuals to take more control and ownership of their digital identities. This user-centric digital identity technology helps users reduce the pain of managing dozens, even hundreds, of user names and passwords, and gives users more control over what personal information they share with Web sites when they sign in using an OpenID.

Today more than 10,000 Web sites support OpenID log-ins, and an estimated 350 million OpenID-enabled URLs exist.

“With this support from these new company board members, the OpenID Foundation will be able to continue to promote and protect the technology and its community moving forward,” said Bill Washburn, executive director, OpenID Foundation. “The community has expanded quickly since the inception of the foundation, and these companies will help bring OpenID into the mainstream markets.”

The industry collaboration supporting OpenID extends not only to the technology itself, but also to the establishment of the OpenID Foundation as an open forum to promote, protect and enable the OpenID technologies and community. The OpenID community has matured rapidly from its inception as a loose coalition of volunteers to the establishment of the OpenID Foundation with a strong mission and intellectual property structure that enables all to participate in developing and implementing OpenID technology. This progress has been made with donations of legal resources by Microsoft and various contributions from Google, IBM, VeriSign and Yahoo!.

“Google shares the OpenID Foundation’s vision of a Web that’s easy to use and built on open standards available to everyone,” said Brad Fitzpatrick, a software engineer at Google. “OpenID was always intended to be a decentralized sign-on system, so it’s fantastic to join a foundation committed to keeping it free and unencumbered by proprietary extensions.”

“Privacy concerns have been escalating rapidly because of repeated incidents involving unexpected personal information loss and user identity theft,” said Anthony Nadalin, IBM Distinguished Engineer and chief security architect, IBM Tivoli software. “As a leader in identity, access and federated identity management and open standards-based software, this is an important step in IBM’s collaboration with other industry leaders to continuously enhance open source projects for user-centric identity management. This effort is intended to provide users with more control and help them to better manage and protect their digital identities.”

“The OpenID community is a key constituency in solving the digital identity problems Internet users face, and will benefit from being represented by the OpenID Foundation,” said Kim Cameron, chief identity architect, Microsoft. “Since Bill Gates and Craig Mundie announced our collaboration with the OpenID community last February at RSA, Microsoft has played a leading role in establishing the foundation’s open policy framework that allows everyone to participate in the development and use of OpenID specifications. Now we look forward to working with the community to refine and drive adoption of the specifications.”

“OpenID enables consumers to take control of their online identity, which in turn will drive trust, privacy and security on the Internet,” said Nico Popp, vice president of Innovation at VeriSign Inc. “Networked identity and authentication services are core elements of VeriSign’s current and future service offerings. Because of this, we applaud the creation of the OpenID foundation and we look forward to contributing to its mission.”

“Yahoo! believes that a truly open Web is the key to the next generation of Internet experiences; OpenID furthers this cause by delivering a free, standards-based solution that the entire industry can embrace,” said Ash Patel, executive vice president of platforms and infrastructure at Yahoo!. “Over the last year we have worked closely with the OpenID Foundation to develop the organization’s intellectual property framework, finalize the OpenID 2.0 specification and adopt OpenID for all 248 million active registered Yahoo! users worldwide. We look forward to collaborating with the OpenID Foundation, its board and community to further simplify the consumer experience of the Web and empower users to take control of their online identity with OpenID.”

OpenID Technology

With the increased use of the Internet to conduct business and the rise of new types of online interactions, such as social networking and user-generated content, innovative kinds of digital identifier technologies are necessary to sustain the “open Web.” OpenID enables individuals to convert one of their already existing digital identifiers — such as their personal blog’s URL — into an OpenID account, which then can be used as a login at any Web site supporting OpenID.

Wide adoption of OpenID reduces the frustration of repeatedly having to register username/password accounts and then later recalling login information for an ever-increasing array of Web sites. For online businesses, these efforts can lower password and account management costs, help reduce the overall risks of security breaches by limiting the amount of customer personal information businesses need to store and protect, and increase both new and return user traffic by lowering the barriers to Web site entry and reentry.

To learn more about the OpenID Foundation, please visit http://openid.net/foundation.

To learn more about the OpenID, please visit http://openid.net.

Windows Server 2008 Released To Manufacturing

Approaching the company’s largest enterprise launch in its history, Microsoft reached another important milestone today with the release to manufacturing (RTM) of Windows Server 2008. The response from IT professionals and developers has been strong as the company moves toward the worldwide launch of Windows Server 2008, SQL Server 2008 and Visual Studio 2008 on February 27.

One indication of the momentum that is building around the latest server operating system is the number of beta and evaluation versions that customers and partners have obtained: more than two million.

IT professionals face increasing pressure from rapidly changing technology, increasing costs and security concerns, and expanding business needs. Windows Server 2008 helps alleviate these pressures by automating daily management tasks, tightening security, improving efficiency and increasing availability. It also offers virtualization solutions that will enable IT professionals to reduce costs, increase hardware utilization, optimize their infrastructure, and improve server availability.

Furthermore, because Windows Server 2008 was developed in tandem with the Windows Vista code base, it has most of that operating system’s advanced management and security features, such as integrated Network Access Protection (NAP) and Group Policy. Customers will also see system-wide performance improvements from an integrated system architecture, including network file sharing, managed quality of service and reduced power consumption. Common tools and processes across both operating systems will result in efficiencies for IT organizations.

“We’ve been working with partners around the world who are creating solutions that take advantage of the new platform’s feature set,” said Bob Visse, senior director, Windows Server Marketing Group at Microsoft. “There’s been tremendous support for the operating system and a lot of excitement around the opportunity it represents for the industry.”

Microsoft is also offering customers a Go Live License, which permits them to deploy beta releases of Internet Information Services 7.0 (IIS 7.0) into live production. So far, 28 companies worldwide have created and launched hosted offerings using this program, and hundreds more have downloaded the Windows Server 2008 beta and begun testing.

With Windows Server 2008, Microsoft is also embracing PHP hosting on Windows via the FastCGI module for IIS 7.0. PHP is a popular open-source scripting language used to build dynamic web applications. This allows IT Professionals to host PHP and ASP.net applications side by side. As a result, the PHP community will be able to take advantage of the increased reliability of PHP on Windows and simplified administration available on the Windows platform.

Customers: On Your Mark…

To help IT professionals evaluate the migration-readiness of their existing networks, Microsoft has created four automated assessment tools, or “solution accelerators:”

• the Microsoft Assessment and Planning (MAP) tool, which helps evaluate installed applications on servers, performs hardware assessments and makes recommendations regarding server virtualization;

• the Infrastructure Planning and Design guides, which describe the architectural considerations involved in implementing the upgrade to Windows Server 2008;

• the Windows Server 2008 Security Guide, which provides best practices and automated tools to help strengthen the security of servers running Windows Server 2008; and

• the Microsoft Deployment tool, which decreases the cost of client and server deployments by providing detailed guidance and job aids for every organizational role involved with large-scale deployment projects.


Enterprise customers planning to upgrade can follow a few basic steps to help prepare and plan for the move to Windows Server 2008:

1.
Use Microsoft’s free tools to assess their enterprise’s current servers and determine which can be upgraded and which servers will require a “clean install. “

2.
Engage with their application suppliers for prescriptive guidance.

3.
Test applications they’re planning to run for compatibility with Windows 2008.

4.
Research certified hardware and software solutions in the Windows Server Catalog.



Upgrade Options

Windows Server 2008 uses image-based deployment to make the installation process as efficient as possible. Installation images are the fastest way to deploy an operating system. Image-based setup also is less error-prone than a scripted installation process.

Customers upgrading from Windows Server 2003 to Windows Server 2008 will follow one of two methods, depending upon their current environment. Servers that are running only software applications that came with Windows Server 2003, such as Active Directory, Domain Name System (DNS) and Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP), are the best candidates for a simple upgrade.

Microsoft recommends other customers running a wider variety of applications follow IT community best practices and perform a “clean install” of Windows Server 2008. A clean install involves loading Windows Server 2008 on a partition that is not running an existing operating system. Microsoft advises those customers who want to pursue an upgrade to first contact the software manufacturer for prescriptive guidance. Customers running applications whose manufacturers do not provide support during the upgrade process, which did not ship with Windows Server 2003 or that weren’t delivered to Windows Server via Windows Update should remove those applications first, perform the upgrade to Windows Server 2008, verify the applications are supported on Windows Server 2008 and then reinstall the applications.

Windows Server 2008 also offers a barebones installation option called Server Core, in which only the services required to perform the Active Directory Domain Services, Active Directory Lightweight Directory Services (AD LDS), DHCP, DNS Server, File Services, Print Server, Streaming Media Services, Web Server (IIS), or Hyper-V (Virtualization), roles are installed. A Server Core installation offers base-level server functionality without any extra overhead, so it will typically require less maintenance and fewer updates than a full installation.

Ensuring Compatibility

To help original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), independent hardware vendors (IHVs), independent software vendors (ISVs) and other developers build solutions that IT professionals can deploy immediately with confidence, Microsoft created the Windows Server 2008 Logo Program.

“We’ve been working with more than 1,000 software and hardware partners to help ensure that their products take full advantage of the capabilities and features of Windows Server 2008,” said Visse.

Windows Server 2008 software certification comprises approximately 100 test cases that independently confirm an application’s compliance with best practices for compatibility, security, reliability and availability on the server operating system. The certification identifies top-performing technologies that are ready to deploy in mission-critical environments.

The program features two designations – the “Works with Windows Server 2008” designation ensures that an application is in compliance with best practices for the most common Windows Server 2008 functions, while the “Certified for Windows Server 2008” logo supports rigorous standards for stability, security, reliability and overall performance.

Microsoft expects there to be at least 80 software applications certified for Windows Server 2008 by the end of February, and roughly 300 more that are considered ready for the new platform. A complete list of compatible hardware and software products is available at http://www.windowsservercatalog.com.

In addition to encouraging customers to look for the certification logo when they make purchasing decisions, Microsoft has done something new for Windows Server 2008. The company has made the same tools that ISVs used to test their products for compatibility available to IT professionals so that they can test both commercial applications and custom applications they’ve developed in-house. The tools are downloadable at http://www.windowsservercatalog.com/ready.

There is also a Windows Server 2008 Developer Center site that is a portal for both ISV developers and enterprise developers working on custom applications. The site provides how-to videos, interviews with Microsoft engineers and related documents. It also links to a moderated technical forum for application readiness and certification discussions and questions http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/windowsserver/default.aspx.

Microsoft Hires Tony Scott as Chief Information Officer

Microsoft Corp. today announced the appointment of Tony Scott to the role of chief information officer (CIO) and corporate vice president of Microsoft. Scott, 56, will manage Microsoft’s 4,000-person global information technology organization that manages critical technology systems supporting the company’s worldwide sales, marketing and services efforts, as well as enterprise systems and applications for all corporate processes. Scott will officially assume his new role at Microsoft in February and report to Kevin Turner, Microsoft’s chief operating officer.

A respected industry veteran, Scott brings more than 25 years of experience running global IT operations for leading corporations. Most recently, Scott served as senior vice president and chief information officer of The Walt Disney Co., where he was the first CIO to manage companywide IT. During his time at Disney, Scott led the company through a major transformation, which included improving the reliability and effectiveness of the company’s information systems, shifting focus more toward employee enablement, and upgrading core IT infrastructure including datacenter reliability. Before joining Disney, Scott served as chief technology officer at General Motors Corp. and vice president of operations at Bristol-Meyers Squibb Co.

“Our internal IT systems and operations play a critical role in the success of our business and how we deliver new technologies and advancements to our customers in the marketplace,” Turner said. “We will leverage Tony’s deep experience in running global IT organizations, and his focus will be in three key areas. First, we want to run a world-class IT department, leveraging Tony’s track record and deep knowledge of operational excellence to achieve the highest level of business value by utilizing IT. Second, as Microsoft’s biggest user of our products and solutions, Tony and the IT team will drive our solutions and deployment throughout our enterprise and provide valuable input and feedback to our product groups. In turn, this will ultimately improve our customer satisfaction in the marketplace. Third, we will call upon Tony to connect and collaborate with CIOs around the world to regularly share best practices with our customers and partners.”

“More than any other company, Microsoft knows how important it is to leverage IT for strategic business advantage, and I look forward to building on this success in my new role,” Scott said. “So few places offer the chance to expand your skills and have an impact across such a broad range of technologies — from services to unified communications to mobility. It is a great opportunity, and I am excited to work with this team to help Microsoft advance its business forward through IT.”

Library of Congress, Microsoft Announce Agreement to Support New Interactive Experience for Visitors

The Library of Congress and Microsoft Corp. have signed a cooperative agreement that will change the way visitors experience U.S. history. The joint technology innovation effort between the Library and Microsoft will electronically expose the Library’s immense collection of historical artifacts to patrons visiting the Library’s Thomas Jefferson Building in Washington, D.C., and will allow unparalleled and immersive interactive experiences that will bring the Library’s vast historical collections and exhibits to life onsite and online through the upcoming myloc.gov Web site.

Through the Microsoft investment of funding, software and technology expertise, training and support services, the Library will deliver its New Visitors Experience through a complex technology system with interactive kiosks in the Jefferson Building as well as rich Internet applications delivered through a robust Web infrastructure.

“Microsoft is helping to put a vast array of the Library’s unparalleled educational resources literally at the fingertips of students and lifelong learners alike, both onsite at the Library of Congress and virtually through the Web,” said Librarian of Congress James H. Billington. “The Library of Congress and the causes of inspiration and creativity will benefit immensely from this act of generosity and expertise.”

“Technology can play such a meaningful role in facilitating the learning and discovery process for people of all ages,” said Curt Kolcun, vice president of the Federal Division at Microsoft. “This relationship between the Library and Microsoft will help citizens explore the Library’s — and our nation’s — treasure trove of historical memorabilia in unprecedented ways.”

Passport to Knowledge

New interactive galleries will bring to life the world’s largest collection of knowledge, culture and creativity, with virtual hands-on interaction with items such as the rough draft of the Declaration of Independence, the Gutenberg Bible, the 1507 Waldseemüller world map that first used the word “America,” and original volumes from Thomas Jefferson’s library. Key to these experiences will be interactive presentation software for kiosks running on Windows Vista and its Web equivalent, built utilizing Microsoft Silverlight. Together these technologies will enable incredible fidelity between the onsite and online experiences.

A new “Passport to Knowledge,” with a unique bar code linked to an online account, will allow visitors to bookmark areas of interest that can later be accessed and explored in depth at the upcoming myloc.gov Web site. “Knowledge Quest,” a game-based learning activity, will send visitors onsite and online searching for clues in the art and artifacts of the Library. Teachers will also have access to new educational resources.

The new experience for visitors, both onsite and online, will be powered by Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 Web content management software.

The agreement is part of a larger effort to transform the public spaces of the Library’s Thomas Jefferson Building into an experience that combines unique artifacts with cutting-edge technology and invites visitors to explore the collections in engaging new ways, thanks to Microsoft Silverlight. The Library’s new “Exploring the Early Americas” exhibition, which opened Dec. 13, offers a sampling of the new experience. More exhibits and enhancements, including personalized Web sites at myloc.gov, are scheduled to debut in spring 2008.

“Later this spring, when we open the bronze doors of the Library’s Thomas Jefferson Building, we will unleash new ways to tap into the knowledge housed here,” said Jo Ann Jenkins, chief operating officer of the Library of Congress. “Through this new experience, a wealth of information will be accessible as never before.”

Founded in 1800, the Library of Congress, the nation’s oldest federal cultural institution, seeks to further human understanding and wisdom by providing access to knowledge through its vast collections of books, manuscripts, films, and art objects from all over the globe. The Library’s award-winning Web site is at http://www.loc.gov. More information about the agreement can be found online at http://www.microsoft.com/industry/government/news/library_of_congress.mspx.

Microsoft Announces Offer to Acquire Fast Search & Transfer

Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq “MSFT”) today announced that it will make an offer to acquire Fast Search & Transfer ASA (OSE: “FAST”), a leading provider of enterprise search solutions, through a cash tender offer for 19.00 Norwegian kroner (NOK) per share. This offer represents a 42 percent premium to the closing share price on Jan. 4, 2008 (the last trading day prior to this announcement), and values the fully diluted equity of FAST at 6.6 billion NOK (or approximately $1.2 billion U.S.). FAST’s board of directors has unanimously recommended that its shareholders accept the offer. In addition, shareholders representing in aggregate 37 percent of the outstanding shares, including FAST’s two largest institutional shareholders, Orkla ASA and Hermes Focus Asset Management Europe, have irrevocably undertaken to accept the offer. The transaction is expected to be completed in the second quarter of calendar year 2008.

“Enterprise search is becoming an indispensable tool to businesses of all sizes, helping people find, use and share critical business information quickly,” said Jeff Raikes, president of the Microsoft Business Division. “Until now organizations have been forced to choose between powerful, high-end search technologies or more mainstream, infrastructure solutions. The combination of Microsoft and FAST gives customers a new choice: a single vendor with solutions that span the full range of customer needs.”

The companies possess a number of complementary strengths that advance a shared vision for helping businesses deliver information worker productivity and improved business results. FAST has a deep talent pool and is respected throughout the technology industry for its expertise in best-in-class, high-end search solutions. Microsoft offers worldwide customer reach and an extensive partner network, and is the recognized leader in business productivity with the popular Microsoft Office SharePoint Server, which combines search with best-in-class collaboration, business intelligence, portal and content management capabilities.

“This acquisition gives FAST an exciting way to spread our cutting-edge search technologies and innovations to more and more organizations across the world,” said John Lervik, CEO of FAST. “By joining Microsoft, we can benefit from the momentum behind the SharePoint business productivity platform to really empower a broader set of users through Microsoft’s strong sales and marketing network. It validates FAST’s momentum and leadership in enterprise search.”

In addition to bolstering Microsoft’s enterprise search efforts, this acquisition increases Microsoft’s research and development presence in Europe, complementing existing research teams in Cambridge, England, and Copenhagen, Denmark, with new and significant capabilities in Norway.

The offer will be subject to customary terms and conditions, including receipt of acceptances representing more than 90 percent of FAST shares and voting power on a fully diluted basis, and receipt of all necessary regulatory approvals on terms acceptable to Microsoft. The complete details of the offer, including all terms and conditions, will be contained in the offer document, which is expected to be sent to FAST shareholders during the week of Jan. 14, 2008. The offer will not be made in any jurisdiction in which the making of the offer would not be in compliance with the laws of such jurisdiction.

News Teleconference and Playback

At 10:15 a.m. PST Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2008, Microsoft and FAST will hold a teleconference to discuss the acquisition. To participate, U.S. residents can dial (877) 917-3408, Norwegian residents can dial 800-18393, and those outside the U.S. and Norway can dial +1 (630) 395-0346. The passcode is 5926426. A recording of the call will be available starting one hour after its conclusion and ending Saturday, Feb. 9, 2008, at 3 a.m. PST. To access this recording, callers can dial (800) 945-5760 (U.S.) or +1 (402) 220-3547 (international).

About FAST

FAST, which was founded in 1997, creates the real-time search and business intelligence solutions that are behind the scenes at the world’s best-known companies with the most demanding information challenges. FAST’s flexible and scalable integrated technology platform and personalized portal connects users, regardless of medium, to the relevant information they need.

FAST is headquartered in Norway and is publicly traded under the ticker symbol ‘FAST’ on the Oslo Stock Exchange. The FAST Group operates globally with presence in Europe, the United States, Asia, Australia, the Americas, and the Middle East. For further information about FAST, please visit http://www.fast.no/.

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

Bill Gates Looks Ahead at Next Digital Decade

At the 2008 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES), Microsoft Corp. Chairman Bill Gates and Microsoft President of the Entertainment & Devices Division Robbie Bach today unveiled several new entertainment services and partnerships, including new deals with Disney-ABC Television Group, NBC Universal and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (MGM), that demonstrate how software is improving people’s ability to connect with their favorite content and communities through new and expanded forms of entertainment experiences.

In his 11th CES opening keynote address, Gates looked at the sweeping changes since 2001 that have created the first true Digital Decade, including the continued expansion of the popularity of Windows-based PCs, the growing prevalence of broadband networks, the spread of mobile phones and the advent of portable digital media devices.

“Since I first started talking about the Digital Decade in 2001, the speed with which digital technology has become central to the way we work, learn and play has been amazing,” Gates said. “But in many ways, we are at the very beginning of the transformation that software will enable. During the next Digital Decade, technology will make our lives richer, more connected, more productive and more fulfilling in profound and exciting ways.”

Gates went on to outline his vision for the next Digital Decade — an era in which dramatic advances in hardware and software will make the power of computing a ubiquitous part of day-to-day life. Gates referenced how natural user interfaces will more closely reflect the way people interact with each other. High-definition experiences will be nearly everywhere. Services-connected devices running on the Web and huge amounts of storage accessible via the Internet will mean that information and capabilities people want will be available instantly and seamlessly, no matter where they are.

Partnership With NBC Universal for the First “Long-Tail” Olympics

A joint Microsoft-NBC Universal announcement provides just one indication of the power of software to change the way people experience online entertainment. NBC Universal and Microsoft will raise the bar for live and on-demand Internet broadcasting through an exclusive agreement where Microsoft and NBC will deliver NBCOlympics.com on MSN, the official U.S. online home of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. In the first “long-tail” Olympics, online viewers will have access to more than 3,000 hours of live and on-demand content so they can watch their favorite athlete or sport, regardless of whether the sport has seven fans or 7 million. NBCOlympics.com on MSN will be available free and powered by Microsoft Silverlight technology, a cross-browser, cross-platform plug-in for delivering high-quality video experiences on the Web.

“With Microsoft’s cutting-edge technology and MSN’s enormous reach, we will be positioned on NBCOlympics.com to enable Olympic fans to tailor their Olympic online viewing experience — they can watch Olympic sports content when and where they want,” said Gary Zenkel, president of NBC Olympics. “An on-demand Olympics means online viewers will be able to return to their favorite Olympic moments over and over or watch a performance they may have missed for the first time.”

Hit ABC and Disney Channel Programs Join Xbox Live Video Lineup; MGM Brings Legendary Library of Films to Xbox LIVE

Bach announced that hit TV programs from ABC Television and Disney Channel will join the Xbox Live programming available for download directly to the Xbox 360 console. In addition, MGM will bring its library of hit movies.

Under the agreement with Disney-ABC Television Group, later this month, all U.S. Xbox LIVE members will begin to have access to select TV shows and movies from the ABC Television Network, ABC Family, ABC News, Disney Channel and Toon Disney as part of an agreement with Disney-ABC Television Group. More than 500 hours of content, in both standard definition and high definition when available, will be offered including hit ABC Television shows “Lost,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Ugly Betty” and “Desperate Housewives.” Past and current ABC shows will be available on demand, with new episodes arriving on the service the day after they air on television.

Under the agreement with MGM, Xbox 360 will offer MGM’s legendary movie library on demand for Xbox 360 including such titles as “Rocky,” “Terminator,” “Legally Blonde,” “Silence of the Lambs” and “Barbershop.” United Artists, an MGM sister company, will also make select films available on demand.

With more than 10 million Xbox LIVE members and more than 3,500 hours of premium content, Xbox 360 has established itself as a premier platform for on-demand TV shows and movies, including impressive high definition experiences, for TV.

“Xbox LIVE Marketplace is the destination for high-definition movies, TV shows and music videos,” Bach said. “And, with the new Disney-ABC and MGM partnerships, we are bringing even more compelling high-definition content to people through their Xbox 360.”

Xbox 360 on Track to Register Biggest Year in Video Game History

According to Bach, the continuing success of Xbox is another indication of the power of digital technology to transform the way people access and experience entertainment of all kinds. Sales of 17.7 million consoles this holiday season surpassed original expectations and put Xbox 360 on track to register the biggest year in video game history as U.S. consumers spent more on the Xbox 360 platform in 2007 than on any other gaming platform.

“With its continued momentum in games, accessories and digital entertainment via our leading online service Xbox LIVE, and record-setting games and accessory attach rates, evidence is everywhere that Xbox 360 is thriving,” Bach said.

Zune to Launch in Canada; Zune Social Grows Rapidly

Adding to the entertainment momentum, Bach announced that Zune will be available in Canada in spring 2008, the first time the family of digital music players will be available outside the U.S. Microsoft also announced that since the November launch of Zune Social, more than 1.5 million people have joined the music-focused social network, demonstrating how Zune is tapping into consumers’ desire to share their musical passions with their broader community.

Windows Vista Hits 100 Million Licenses; Shows Latest “Fashion” PCs

During the keynote, Gates talked about the ongoing transformation of the personal computer and he shared sales figures for Windows Vista that indicate that the PC and the Windows platform remains a central catalyst for the advances of the Digital Decade. According to Gates, the company has sold more than 100 million Windows Vista licenses to date.

“For more than 25 years, Windows has unlocked the power of personal computing,” Gates said. “Now we are expanding Windows to go where you want to go and do what you want to do on PCs, the Web and mobile devices. The result is connected experiences that extend across people’s lives, interests and communities, at home and at work.”

In addition to technology advances that continue to make PCs more powerful, more portable and more affordable, there is a growing emphasis on style. Independent research firm Forrester Research Inc. has predicted that the period between now and 2012 will be the “Age of Style” for the consumer PC industry, with “strategists and marketers weaving design concerns into their thinking about every facet of their company’s strategies as style and design becomes a critical brand attribute.” (“The Age Of Style In Consumer PCs,” Forrester Research, June 25, 2007). Examples from several hardware manufacturers were shown in a video during the CES keynote, including these:

• ASUS-Lamborghini VX3. Available in the first quarter of 2008, this PC is ultrathin and lightweight, and comes with a 12.1-inch-wide LED backlit panel and premium leather-bound palm rest with exquisite stitch detailing reminiscent of that in a Lamborghini automobile.

• Lenovo IdeaPad U110. Available in January 2008, this super-slim notebook weighs just over two pounds and is embellished with a tendril texture etched into a red metal cover and includes a Dolby Home Theater system and optional Solid State Drives.

New IPTV Experiences; Microsoft Mediaroom Now on 1 Million Set-Top Boxes

Other announcements highlight the ongoing impact that digital technology and software plus services are having on the way people experience television. Showtime Networks Inc. and Turner Broadcasting System Inc.’s TNT and CNN networks all introduced new TV applications capable of delivering the most advanced digital TV services on the Microsoft Mediaroom Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) platform, which is enabling over 20 of the world’s leading broadband service providers to deliver advanced digital TV services.

Examples of innovative new television experiences include the ability to view NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races from the driver’s vantage point by choosing from a series of in-car cameras on broadcasts by TNT; to watch boxing matches by selecting different camera angles and audio feeds on Showtime; and to access the richness of CNN.com’s 2008 presidential election coverage while watching CNN’s television broadcast.

Microsoft also announced that Mediaroom is now running on 1 million set-top boxes worldwide and unveiled a new offering called DVR Anywhere, giving customers the flexibility of watching their recorded programs on multiple TVs in the home.

In addition, Microsoft announced that Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. will support Extender for Windows Media Center, enabling televisions to stream HD content from any Windows Vista-based PCs with Windows Media Center over a wired or dual-band Wireless-N home network. This partnership builds on strong momentum and a growing set of online services, including the recent beta release of Windows Media Center Internet TV, which offers more than 100 hours of ad-supported entertainment from MSN Video, including full-length shows, music concerts and movie trailers.

New Interfaces Drive Future of Computing: Speech, Vision, Touch and More

Examples of the growing prevalence of more natural user interfaces were also on display during the keynote. Bach previewed a new version of Tellme, Microsoft’s integrated voice-and-visual mobile service that enables people to use voice commands to say what they want and see the answer on their phone’s screen. The new service uses Global Positioning System (GPS) capabilities to identify the caller’s location, yielding results that are significantly more relevant. Tellme is available today on AT&T Wireless and Sprint phones and will be available in future versions of Windows Mobile.

For example, a person can “call” the Web on a mobile phone and say “movies” and the software will recognize where the person is located and send to that mobile phone’s screen a list of the theaters closest to that location. Furthermore, Microsoft gave an early glimpse of how future versions may also offer the ability to purchase movie tickets from a mobile phone and share the movie information with friends and family via a text message.

Bach also demoed voice-activated technology for the car, including Sync, a fully integrated in-car communications and infotainment system for mobile phones and digital music players that has been available in select Ford models since September. Ford Motor Co., which expects to sell more than 1 million vehicles with Sync by early 2009, unveiled the new 911 Assist feature that connects drivers with emergency services in the case of an accident or emergency.

Windows Home Server Breaks Ground on New Features, Expands Into More Homes Worldwide

Attendees of this week’s 2008 International CES will be introduced to Windows Home Server Power Pack 1. The new software delivers a range of enhancements for customers who have embraced Windows Home Server since its launch last November, helping them protect, organize and share their digital photos, music, videos and documents.

Microsoft Corp. is committed to continually enhancing the capabilities and benefits of Windows Home Server for partners and consumers. With Power Pack 1, the Windows Home Server Connector software for home computers is compatible with 64-bit editions of Windows Vista. This update release also provides a new way to protect data, in case of a disaster such as a fire or theft, by enabling the backup of a home server to external storage. In addition, Power Pack 1 improves its remote access features by providing a simple way to upload multiple files, presenting photo thumbnail views and enabling more control of remote user access.

With Power Pack 1, power consumption of Windows Home Server is more efficient, complementing the power management capabilities in Windows Home Server-based hardware products such as the Fujitsu Siemens Computers SCALEO Home Server and Tranquil Home Servers. Power Pack 1 also adds support for the Chinese and Japanese languages, and will be available to customers automatically in spring 2008 through Windows Update. More information about the update is available on the Windows Home Server blog at http://blogs.technet.com/homeserver.

Unveiled by Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates at CES 2007 and launched in November, Windows Home Server represents a new product category embraced by both customers and industry partners. Forrester Research Inc. forecasts that home server adoption will reach 4.56 million households in the next five years.

“Windows Home Server will spearhead the growth of an important new product category,” said J.P. Gownder, principal analyst at Forrester Research, in his December 2007 teleconference, “Forrester’s Windows Home Server Outlook and Forecast.” “The proliferation of consumer digital assets creates a need for the functionality of a home server. And multi-PC households are growing rapidly, along with home networks.”

Delighted Customers

Customer demand for Windows Home Server has been strong; the HP MediaSmart Server, powered by Windows Home Server, sold out on leading retailer Web sites after it launched. Customers in more than 30 countries are now using Windows Home Server to help secure and enjoy their digital content and experiences. For example, in the United States, Brian Driscall used Windows Home Server to quickly restore all of his 9-year-old son’s progress on the “LEGO Star Wars” computer game, after his 4-year-old son had deleted the information.

“I saved the day for my son,” Driscall said. “I love being able to stream music, videos and pictures from my home server, too. We had some friends over recently, and we were able to show them pictures from our Thanksgiving vacation on our TV.”

Brian Irvin is a technical sergeant in the New York Air National Guard, stationed in Antarctica. He posts videos of himself to the server back home, so he can stay connected with his wife and children.*

“The kids really love it. My 5-year-old daughter even talks to the computer while the videos are playing,” Irvin said. “I’m able to read my kids a bedtime story, even though I’m on the other side of the planet.”

Partners Build On the Windows Home Server Platform

More than 15 hardware makers around the world have announced Windows Home Server-based products. Third-party software developers have released or announced approximately 50 Add-in programs to extend Windows Home Server capabilities, including personal blogging, family Web sites, media sharing, home security features, home automation, and protection against viruses and malware.

In its pressroom at CES, Microsoft will demonstrate Windows Home Server working with partner solutions such as the Sonos Digital Music System and CEIVA digital photo frames. In France, the OMSERVER from OMWAVE is a new Windows Home Server-based hardware product with home automation Add-in software. Information about other Windows Home Server-based hardware products and third-party Add-ins is available at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/presskits/homeserver.

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

* Use of Windows Home Server’s remote access features may require additional services from your broadband provider, such as access to certain “ports” that some providers may block for customers on some service plans. Contact your broadband provider if you have questions about their services or service terms.

For more information about Windows Home Server:

http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/presskits/homeserver (virtual pressroom)

http://www.microsoft.com/windowshomeserver (product page)

For more information about the HP MediaSmart Server:

http://www.hp.com/go/mediasmartserver

Microsoft Announces Response Point Phone System Pricing and Preorders

U.S. small businesses are one step closer to phone technology that is easy to set up and simple to use: Microsoft Corp. has released its Microsoft® Response Point™ phone system software to manufacturing.

Xuedong Huang, general manager for Response Point at Microsoft, said that working alongside D-Link Corp. and Quanta Computer Inc. has helped Microsoft develop a flexible solution that meets the needs of small-business customers. “Response Point helps deliver value to small-business telephony through the power of software,” Huang said. “Our team has worked hand in hand with small-business customers to deliver a new and fundamentally better user experience.”

Customers can preorder Quanta Syspine models beginning Friday, Oct. 5. A complete package that includes a base unit with built-in analog telephone adapter (ATA) and secure gateway, plus four phones, will cost approximately $2,500 (all prices U.S.). Additional phones will be available for $159 each.

In addition, D-Link VoiceCenter phone systems will be available in the fourth quarter of 2007. The VoiceCenter system will include a base unit, ATA and five phones for approximately $2,999. Additional phone lines will cost approximately $149.

Microsoft Financing will also allow customers who purchase through an authorized Microsoft reseller to pay for fully installed Response Point phone systems on a monthly basis, giving small businesses access to advanced phone technology without straining their credit lines or requiring a large upfront investment.

Telecom Leader to Manufacture Response Point Systems

Microsoft also announced Aastra Technologies Ltd. as the newest hardware vendor that will manufacture and ship Response Point phone systems. Aastra, a global leader in the enterprise telecommunications systems industry, will offer complete, end-to-end Response Point phone systems with wireless handset options by next year.

“Response Point is a great addition to our offering, and we are looking to reinforce our relationship with Microsoft,” said David Sayson, vice president of business development at Aastra. “Aastra has a strong expertise in enterprise communications as well as a very comprehensive range of VoIP terminals, including campus wireless handsets. Partnering with Microsoft allows Aastra to expand its line of enterprise communications offerings and provide an affordable solution for small businesses.”

Telephony Software That Grows With Business Needs

Response Point is an integral piece of Microsoft’s comprehensive voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) strategy, which addresses communications and messaging needs for businesses of all sizes through the power and flexibility of software. Response Point’s user-friendly management center empowers an average computer user to set up a phone or make system changes in minutes. And the unique voice-enabled user interface instantly connects employees and customers with the people or information they need.

Microsoft and Novell Open Interoperability Lab

Microsoft Corp. and Novell Inc. today announced the opening of the Microsoft and Novell® Interoperability Lab in Cambridge, Mass. Announced last fall as part of Microsoft and Novell’s groundbreaking collaboration agreement, the opening of the lab delivers on a promise the two companies made to work together to create a joint development facility at which Microsoft and Novell technical experts will design and test new software solutions and work with customers and the community to build and support technologies that allow Microsoft® Windows Server® and SUSE® Linux Enterprise to work well together.

“The Microsoft and Novell Interoperability Lab is officially open for business,” said Tom Hanrahan, director of Linux interoperability at Microsoft. “We are pleased to be working with Novell on this joint interoperability effort and are eager to roll up our sleeves and continue the challenging technical work required to make Windows Server and SUSE Linux Enterprise interoperability a reality for our customers.”

“Today’s lab opening is another indicator of the high priority that Novell and Microsoft are giving this collaboration,” said Suzanne Forsberg, Interoperability Lab manager for Novell. “This kind of technical interoperability work requires disciplined effort and dedicated resources, and that’s what this lab is built around. Enterprise customers are demanding exactly the kinds of interoperable solutions that will be the focus of this lab’s work and output.”

Located in Cambridge, the 2,500-square-foot lab and workspace will be home to a combined team of the best and brightest Microsoft and Novell engineers focused on making Windows Server and SUSE Linux Enterprise work better together. The first priority for the lab team will be to ensure interoperability between Microsoft and Novell virtualization technologies. Additional work will include standards-based systems management, identity federation and compatibility of office document formats.

The lab houses more than 80 servers of varying architectures as well as a storage area network. Microsoft and Novell are committed to including other vendors and technologies as the lab continues to grow to create a heterogeneous lab environment that reflects the current IT environments and interoperability challenges facing enterprise customers today.

More information on SUSE Linux Enterprise is available at http://www.novell.com/linux. More information on Microsoft is available at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass.

Microsoft Licenses Graphics Technology to Award-Winning Weta Digital

Microsoft Corp. and Weta Digital Ltd., an Academy Award-winning visual effects company, today announced a licensing agreement that will enhance Weta’s ability to create graphics and special effects for its movie, commercial and other multimedia productions.

“We are pleased that one of the leading visual effects companies in the world has selected computer graphics technologies developed at Microsoft Research to deliver newer, richer graphics and special effects to audiences around the world,” said Louis Carbonneau, general manager for the Intellectual Property Licensing Group at Microsoft. “We believe the graphics technologies developed in our research labs to be among the best in the world, and are pleased that we can collaborate with entertainment industry leaders, through our new graphics technology IP licensing program, to bring new visual experiences to consumers.

Weta Digital, formed in 1997 by a group of New Zealand filmmakers — including Academy Award-winners Peter Jackson, Jamie Selkirk and Richard Taylor — offers world-class visual effects for international feature films and commercials. The company is best known for its visual effects work on “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy (New Line Cinema), and more recently for its work on “King Kong” (Universal Studios), all of which were directed by Peter Jackson.

“Last year, Microsoft showed us some new research in computer graphics that we thought would be a great addition to our toolkit,” said Joe Letteri, senior visual effects supervisor at Weta Digital. “We realized that by working directly with Microsoft Research, we could develop these ideas faster and spend more time on the creative effects. It’s great to be working with a talented group, like Microsoft Research, whose aim is to open up new horizons in digital imaging for filmmakers.”

Microsoft Research will present graphics research this week at SIGGRAPH 2007, the Association for Computing Machinery’s 34th annual international conference on computer graphics and interactive techniques, in San Diego. Microsoft will present 13 percent of the papers on the 2007 papers program, more than any other organization. Links to the papers Microsoft contributed to the conference this year as well as in previous years are available at http://research.microsoft.com/news/featurestories/publish/SIGGRAPH_2007.aspx.

More information on Microsoft Research is available at http://research.microsoft.com.

HP and Microsoft Alliance Continues to Drive Productivity in High-Performance Computing

HP and Microsoft Corporation today announced an extension of their worldwide sales and marketing agreement that addresses the high-performance computing (HPC) market.

The companies have come together to drive high-performance computing into the mass market by delivering supercomputing clusters that are easier to deploy, support and manage for enterprise and mid-market customers.

The extension of the alliance entails a multimillion dollar investment by both HP and Microsoft, and includes HP selling Microsoft Windows® Compute Cluster Server (CCS) 2003 direct and via reseller channels as part of the HP Unified Cluster Portfolio, which is supported on HP ProLiant servers, HP BladeSystem and HP Cluster platforms.

“High-performance computing is poised for continued strong growth, averaging over 20 percent a year for the last four years, with HPC standards-based clusters growing at even higher rates. End-users are looking for easy-to-use systems and will likely go with vendors that can provide an easy transition from their desktop to HPC servers,” said Earl Joseph, program vice president, IDC, an industry analyst firm. “The HP and Microsoft partnership to provide Windows Compute Cluster Server on ProLiant and Blades platforms has the potential to address these key user requirements and enable more customers to take advantage of HPC technologies. Many users, especially desktop users, are already familiar with the Windows environment, and this partnership provides an easy transition to an HPC solution.”

The combination of Windows CCS and HP servers enables users to effortlessly expand their compute capability and easily tap into the power of clusters. Windows CCS is designed specifically to make HPC clusters easier to design, integrate and manage within organizations so employees are more productive.

HP enhancements to Windows CCS include custom installation scripts and documentation that greatly streamline deployment. The optional HP Message Passing Interface and InfiniBand drivers offer increased scalability and performance in applications that require high-speed, low-latency communications. Using HP’s custom installation kit for Windows CCS, a customer can realistically expect to have a 64-node cluster deployed and running within two hours.

“We see the addition of Microsoft as an important part of our Unified Cluster Portfolio program to expand the market and bring HPC technology to the mainstream,” said Winston Prather, vice president and general manager, High Performance Computing, HP.

As part of the alliance, HP and Microsoft have established technology centers in Houston and Grenoble, France, for customers and independent software vendors. The technology centers provide a venue for benchmarking, testing and validating applications on HP servers based on AMD and Intel® processors running Windows CCS.

HP and Microsoft team with ANSYS to bring HPC to vertical industries

HPC resources are in wide use in industries such as computer-aided engineering (CAE), oil and gas and financial services. To help more customers take advantage of HPC solutions based on Windows, HP and Microsoft are teaming with ANSYS, Inc., a global innovator of simulation software and technologies. The three companies are delivering the ANSYS portfolio of CAE applications as part of a cost-effective, easy-to-use and security-enhanced Windows HPC solution.

“By working collectively with HP, an industry leader in HPC, and Microsoft, the world’s leading software provider, ANSYS is providing customers with access to the most productive and powerful engineering simulation solutions available,” said Chris Reid, vice president of marketing, ANSYS. “ANSYS software is a valuable tool for anybody making fundamental design and engineering decisions, and our joint solutions with HP and Microsoft allow those decision makers to stay focused on innovation instead of lengthy IT deployment.”

Recently, Microsoft and ANSYS agreed on worldwide sales and marketing initiatives focused on joint solutions for the manufacturing industry. As part of these initiatives, ANSYS worked through the Microsoft and HP technology center to port, performance-tune and conduct benchmarks with its ANSYS® 11 and FLUENT® 6.3 CAE applications and the 64-bit Windows Server® platform.

“Microsoft is making long-term investments in HPC to help the community collaborate on innovative solutions that can accelerate the pace of discovery and insights,” said Bill Laing, general manager, Windows Server Division, Microsoft Corp. “Microsoft’s work with HP and ANSYS will deliver greater productivity and performance so they can tackle today’s most complex, technical computing challenges. Our long-established relationship with HP, and strong reseller channels, will enable us to bring HPC solutions to enterprise and mid-market customers.”

More information about HP high-performance computing is available at www.hp.com/go/hptc Further information about Microsoft high-performance computing is available at www.microsoft.com/hpc

Microsoft Completes Acquisition of Tellme Networks

Microsoft Corp. today announced that it has completed its acquisition of Tellme Networks Inc., the Mountain View, Calif.-based provider of voice services for everyday life, including nationwide directory assistance, enterprise customer service and voice-enabled mobile search.

Tellme, which has more than 320 employees, will operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of Microsoft from its Mountain View, Calif., offices. Tellme CEO Mike McCue will remain as Tellme’s senior leader and will report to Jeff Raikes, president of the Microsoft Business Division.

HP, Microsoft and SAP Deliver Appliance for Duet Software

HP, Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) and SAP AG (NYSE: SAP) today unveiled a new appliance that allows access to SAP® business processes and data via Microsoft® Office applications on high-performance HP servers.

The result of a collaborative effort, “Duet™ by SAP and Microsoft, powered by HP” is an HP ProLiant server that has been pre-installed with Duet software, a joint solution from Microsoft and SAP that gives information workers seamless access to select SAP business processes and data through Microsoft Office applications.

Duet by SAP and Microsoft, powered by HP acts as an appliance that allows customers to easily create a “proof of concept,” enabling them to more quickly and easily evaluate Duet’s business benefits using customer-specific data. Pre-loaded scripts have been engineered to help customers to jumpstart the Duet proof-of-concept and production implementations.

The Duet appliance speeds up deployment by shortening implementation time from setup to configuration, which both increases return on investment and enables customers to realize business benefits from Duet more quickly.

The Duet appliance also can be expanded to include additional HP ProLiant or HP Integrity servers that can fully integrate with a business’s live Microsoft and SAP applications. The industry-leading HP ProLiant and Integrity server technology behind the Duet appliance will give customers the scalability they need to handle the most demanding workloads with high levels of performance.
“Because of our alliances with both Microsoft and SAP, HP is in a leading position to package the benefits of Duet in a flexible and adaptable solution for rapid deployment,” said Chuck Smith, vice president, Enterprise Servers and Storage, Technology Solutions Group – Americas, HP. “HP Integrity and ProLiant servers provide high performance and superior flexibility for instant query execution and very fast response times – even for complex and non-routine queries. The Duet appliance offers flexibility that optimally adapts to business needs.”

“Just a year after launching Duet, a groundbreaking solution that connects SAP software to the Microsoft Office tools people use every day, we are pleased to announce another landmark initiative to accelerate the deployment of Duet,” said Lewis Levin, corporate vice president, Microsoft Office. “Duet by SAP and Microsoft, powered by HP empowers IT organizations with a plug-and-play solution that rapidly delivers the benefits of Duet to their information workers so they can drive more value, faster.”

“We already have tremendous customer and partner momentum with Duet – since last year’s announcement we have sold to more than 250 customers and 400,000 licenses,” said Doug Merritt, executive vice president of Business User Development and corporate officer, SAP Group. “Our appliance strategy with HP and Microsoft is one more example of SAP’s continuing tradition of co-innovation with partners to bring flexibility and innovation to our customers. Duet by SAP and Microsoft, powered by HP helps customers extend the reach of SAP solutions and improve overall productivity. Since the appliance is based on enterprise service-oriented architecture, customers can get their Duet deployment up and running quickly.”

Duet by SAP and Microsoft, powered by HP is available for customers to order starting June in North America. Additional information on Duet by SAP and Microsoft, powered by HP and the broad range of HP server, software and services solutions for SAP customers is available at www.hp.com/go/sap

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

About SAP

SAP is the world’s leading provider of business software*. Today, more than 39,400 customers in more than 120 countries run SAP® applications -- from distinct solutions addressing the needs of small businesses and midsize companies to suite offerings for global organizations. Powered by the SAP NetWeaver® platform to drive innovation and enable business change, SAP software helps enterprises of all sizes around the world improve customer relationships, enhance partner collaboration and create efficiencies across their supply chains and business operations. SAP solution portfolios support the unique business processes of more than 25 industries, including high tech, retail, financial services, healthcare and the public sector. With subsidiaries in more than 50 countries, the company is listed on several exchanges, including the Frankfurt stock exchange and NYSE under the symbol “SAP.” (Additional information at www.sap.com.)

* SAP defines business software as comprising enterprise resource planning and related applications such as supply chain management, customer relationship management, product life-cycle management and supplier relationship management.

About HP

HP focuses on simplifying technology experiences for all of its customers – from individual consumers to the largest businesses. With a portfolio that spans printing, personal computing, software, services and IT infrastructure, HP is among the world’s largest IT companies, with revenue totaling $94.1 billion for the four fiscal quarters ended Jan. 31, 2007. More information about HP (NYSE: HPQ) is available at http://www.hp.com.

MSFT: Microsoft and EMC Unveil Systems and Network Management Technology Licensing and Collaboration Agreement

EMC Corp. (NYSE:EMC), the world leader in information infrastructure solutions, and Microsoft Corp. today announced a network management technology licensing agreement and a broader technology collaboration — combining the market’s leading solutions for network and systems management for delivery of network-aware, end-to-end service management. The two companies unveiled the alliance, today at the Microsoft Management Summit (MMS) 2007 in San Diego, Calif.

Key to the announcement, Microsoft is licensing EMC® Smarts® network discovery and health monitoring technology to be included in a future version of Microsoft® System Center Operations Manager, the company’s award-winning solution for end-to-end service monitoring in the enterprise IT environment. Additionally, EMC is also developing value-added network management and root-cause analysis management packs to be used in conjunction with both current and future versions of System Center Operations Manager.

Delivering against the initial phase of this agreement, EMC today is announcing the EMC Smarts Connector for Microsoft System Center Operations Manager 2007. This two-way connector enables Smarts to share network discovery, topology and root-cause events with Operations Manager and for Operations Manager to synchronize alert status and resolution back to EMC Smarts technology — thus allowing customers to leverage the benefits of a closely integrated network and systems management suite for service availability today. The connector will be generally available in May 2007.

“System Center Operations Manager gives customers an integrated, end-to-end service management solution that helps increase efficiency and allows for greater control of the IT environment,” said Bob Muglia, senior vice president of the Server and Tools Business at Microsoft. “By integrating EMC’s market-leading network management technology into Operations Manager and collaborating with EMC to develop a new cross-domain behavioral model that will enhance our management pack schema, we are able to give customers a true network-aware service management solution and improve operations management across disparate devices and systems to help pinpoint the root cause of service-affecting problems.”

Taking the agreement one step further, EMC and Microsoft are collaborating on the
co-development of a cross-domain behavioral model in the context of Operations Manager to improve IT operations management across disparate devices and systems. The companies are committed to driving industry standards which enhance interoperability and simplify management in today’s complex information infrastructures. Leveraging these co-developed models, Operations Manager customers will be able to determine the root cause of service issues across the modeled infrastructure. Additionally, the large ecosystem of Operations Manager partners can add to these models to broaden visibility and control to new devices, services, and applications resulting in lower management costs and reduced complexity.

“The only way to achieve end-to-end service visibility and control across today’s complex information infrastructure is to model and manage the behaviors among components, with a cross-domain model that focuses on elements and how they interact with one another,” said EMC’s Howard Elias, executive vice president, Global Services and Resource Management Software Group. “EMC’s rich history in model-based management and root-cause analysis make it the perfect complement to Microsoft System Center — bringing behavior-aware service integrity to Operations Manager 2007. Together, EMC and Microsoft represent the next wave in model-based management, focused on returning behavioral line of sight to IT operations.”

The EMC and Microsoft collaboration consists of the leading solutions for network and systems management and combines the advanced correlation and root cause capabilities of EMC with the ease-of-use, partner ecosystem, and market reach of Microsoft.

“Today’s enterprises are in need of solutions that offer modular capabilities that combine effective discovery and analytics with domain depth in support of service management across servers, applications, Web services, and the network. The problem is, for the most part, that modular, flexible and deployable solutions that answer critical service management needs are rare in contrast with more rigid platform architectures that require lengthy and painful deployments,” said Dennis Drogseth, vice president, Enterprise Management Associates. “By committing to broad-based technology collaboration, EMC and Microsoft are paving the way for customers to optimize real bench depth in systems, network, and storage and application management capabilities in support of strategic service management.”

About EMC

EMC Corporation (NYSE: EMC) is the world’s leading developer and provider of information infrastructure technology and solutions that enable organizations of all sizes to transform the way they compete and create value from their information. Information about EMC’s products and services can be found at www.EMC.com

MSFT: Microsoft to Acquire Tellme Networks

Microsoft Corp. today announced it will acquire Tellme Networks, Inc., a leading provider of voice services for everyday life, including nationwide directory assistance, enterprise customer service and voice-enabled mobile search. Microsoft and Tellme share a vision around the potential of speech as a way to enable access to information, locate other people and enhance business processes, any time and from any device. Combining Tellme’s talented people and expertise in high-volume voice services with Microsoft’s platform, resources and worldwide customer reach will inspire new and innovative solutions.

“Speech is universal, simple and holds incredible promise as a key interface for computing,” said Steve Ballmer, chief executive officer of Microsoft. “Tellme brings to Microsoft the talent, technology and proven experience in speech that will enable us to deliver a new wave of products and revolutionize human-computer interaction.”

Tellme is a leader in voice services for the phone, including its popular mobile search services on 1-800-555-TELL. Founded in 1999, the privately held company answers millions of calls every day for information such as finding local businesses, driving directions, sports scores, stock quotes, weather, news, movie show times and more. Businesses use Tellme’s voice services and platform to provide customers with voice-access services ranging from banking to package tracking. These services are built on Tellme’s voice platform that analyzes caller requests to continually improve the system’s accuracy and overall caller experience.

Potential areas of development resulting from the deal will range from hosted voice-enabled customer service solutions that complement Microsoft’s existing unified communications offerings to voice user interfaces in existing Microsoft products to search services on mobile phones that integrate with Live Search for mobile offerings. In addition, developers and partners will be able to build new speech-based solutions on top of a scalable, standards-based voice-enabled applications platform.

“We’ve made great strides in speech technologies, but have only scratched the surface of what is possible,” said Jeff Raikes, president of the Microsoft Business Division. “The acquisition of Tellme will bolster Microsoft’s existing speech capabilities, bringing both immediate and longer-term value to our customers and partners.”

“Tellme was founded with the idea that anyone should be able to simply say what they want and get it from any device, starting with the phone,” said Mike McCue, co-founder and CEO of Tellme. “Now, with Microsoft, we’ll be able to extend that vision to millions of businesses and consumers around the world.”

This acquisition will mark an important step forward in Microsoft’s strategy for delivering software plus services that put people at the center of technology solutions in the office, at home and on the go. For more than a decade, Microsoft has enabled speech, handwriting and touch as forms of natural user input, making computing and digital devices easier to use. Combining Tellme’s technologies with Microsoft’s existing and future products and services will help improve the way people use voice to find, use and share information:

• Unified communications. Tellme’s voice-enabled services and solutions for enterprise customers complement Microsoft’s unified communications voice services portfolio. This will allow customers and industry partners to build highly scalable voice solutions that leverage rich identity, presence, messaging and application integration.

• Speech platform. Tellme’s robust voice-enabled platform helps open new doors for Microsoft’s hundreds of thousands of developers and partners to build innovative speech solutions based on open standards.

• Mobile services and search. Tellme’s speech expertise and work in mobile search, combined with Microsoft’s innovative local and mobile search offerings, will help take the mobile search usability experience to the next level.

• Software plus services. In the long term, Tellme technology will enhance Microsoft’s many voice-enabled applications, including the Windows Vista™ operating system, the Microsoft Office system, and mobile applications such as Windows Mobile® and Windows® Automotive.


Financial terms of the acquisition were not announced. The deal is expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2007. Tellme, which has more than 320 employees, will continue to operate from its Mountain View, Calif., headquarters as part of the Microsoft Business Division. Following the closing of the acquisition, the Tellme business is expected to be maintained, and members of the Tellme executive team and staff are expected to join Microsoft.

At 9:30 a.m. PDT today, Microsoft and Tellme will hold a teleconference to discuss the acquisition. To participate, U.S. residents can dial (888) 790-3163, and those outside the United States can dial +1 (212) 547-0237. Passcode is 4386031. The call will be available for playback beginning at 11:30 a.m. PDT today through 11:59 p.m. PDT March 23. To access the playback, U.S. residents can dial (866) 376-2435, and those outside the United States can dial +1 (203) 369-0299. Passcode is 93469.

About Tellme

Through innovation and design, Tellme improves how people and businesses use the phone. By combining Internet data and a voice interface, Tellme radically simplifies how people use the phone to get the information they need every day. Today the company powers billions of calls to hundreds of phone services used by more than 40 million people every month. Some of the applications running on Tellme’s platform include business search on 411, information search on 1-800-555-TELL as well as customer service and ordering for companies like Merrill Lynch, E*TRADE and American Airlines. Headquartered in Mountain View, Calif., Tellme’s goal is to let anyone say what they want and get it, from any phone.

Quest Software(QSFT) and Microsoft(MSFT) Announce First License for Protocol Technology in European Licensing Program

Quest Software, Inc. (Nasdaq: QSFT) and Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT) today jointly announced that Quest has become the first licensee in the Microsoft Work Group Server Protocol Program (WSPP) established following the European Commission’s March 2004 decision.

Quest officials said the agreement to license Microsoft’s protocol technology will extend and enrich interoperability capabilities for customers working across heterogeneous server environments. Quest plans to develop innovative software solutions, incorporating Microsoft protocols, which will provide customers with expanded capability to integrate Unix, Linux and Java authentication systems with Active Directory beyond what is available from Quest today. Today’s announcement is the latest step by Quest and Microsoft to provide easy and effective ways to secure and manage user identities across a heterogeneous IT infrastructure.

“Our mutual goal has been to ensure enterprise organizations needing to manage a diverse infrastructure can do so in a practical way and leverage their existing investments in technology and people,” said Doug Garn, president, Quest Software. “The value of this agreement is that Quest is now better positioned than ever to implement truly interoperable solutions for customers that do not require them to support and maintain multiple islands of technologies and redundant processes.”

As a WSPP licensee, Quest will have access to the communications protocols that are implemented in Windows Server Operating Systems and used by a Windows Work Group Server to deliver group and user administration services (including Windows Domain Controller services, Active Directory services, and Group Policy services) to Windows Work Group Networks.

Microsoft developed the protocol licensing program to meet its obligations under the European Commission’s March 2004 decision, which required Microsoft to expand upon the protocol licensing it already offered under a U.S.-based licensing program. While 27 companies have licensed Microsoft protocol technology through the U.S. program, Quest is the first company to license protocols in the European program.

“This agreement represents a significant milestone for the WSPP and demonstrates the momentum we are seeing in the industry around platform interoperability,” said Bob Muglia, Microsoft senior vice president, Server and Tools Business. “Quest is a great partner and we look forward to working together to make this program successful for Quest and its customers around the world.”

Garn added that both companies have been working together for a number of years to make sure the right protocols are available to enable a full and positive experience for Unix users and for Unix-centric solutions. Quest is focused on providing simplified identity management solutions for customers by using standards-based methodologies and products such as Active Directory to integrate, consolidate and optimize Windows and cross-platform infrastructures.

About Quest Software, Inc.
Quest Software, Inc. delivers innovative products that help organizations get more performance and productivity from their applications, databases and Windows infrastructure. Through a deep expertise in IT operations and a continued focus on what works best, Quest helps more than 50,000 customers worldwide meet higher expectations for enterprise IT. Quest’s Windows Management solutions simplify, automate and secure Active Directory, Exchange and Windows, as well as integrate Unix, Linux and Java into the managed Environment. Quest Software can be found in offices around the globe and at http://www.quest.com/.

CSCO: Cisco Expands Microsoft Interoperability to Address Customer And Partner Demand

Highlighting customer and partner demand for interoperability in the unified communications market, Cisco Systems, Inc. today announced it is expanding Microsoft® interoperability to provide collaborative real-time capabilities for customers using Cisco Unified Communications solutions with Microsoft Exchange 2007, Microsoft Live Communications Server 2005, and Microsoft Office Communicator. In addition, Cisco confirmed that its broad portfolio of Unified Communications solutions will support Microsoft Windows Vista and Internet Explorer (IE) 7.0.

"Cisco provides an open approach to unified communications, allowing customers to integrate a variety of application vendors, such as Microsoft, into their business environment," said Zeus Kerravala, senior vice president of enterprise research, Yankee Group. "It is clear that Cisco is partnering with Microsoft in unified communications to offer deep integration to joint customers."

With interoperability being critical to long-term customer success in the unified communications market, Cisco first highlighted its unified communications collaboration with Microsoft in March 2006, when the two companies announced integration between Microsoft® Office Communicator 2005, Microsoft Office Live Communications Server 2005 and the Cisco Unified CallManager (now known as Cisco Unified Communications Manager 6.0). The business communication and collaboration benefits, such as allowing click-to-call or Cisco Unified IP Phone presence via Office Communicator, have accelerated partner deployment and customer adoption of this combined unified communications solution.

"The flexibility offered by a unified communications infrastructure was an ideal solution for us," said Scott Ferguson, Group IT Infrastructure Manager, Leighton Contractors Pty Ltd. "Leightons viewed Cisco Unified Communications and Microsoft Office Communicator as ideal communication technologies to enhance collaboration between our employees."

"Dimension Data develops communication solutions that combine technologies from both Cisco and Microsoft to create a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts," said Andrew Briggs, managing director, Converged Communications, Dimension Data. "By crafting solutions that contain both Cisco's and Microsoft's technologies, clients benefit from increased productivity gains, cost savings and business agility."

Building off its interoperability momentum, Cisco is showcasing several Microsoft interoperable unified communications solutions at VoiceCon Spring 2007, including:

Cisco Unified MeetingPlace 6.0 with the Presence and Instant Messaging Capabilities of Microsoft Live Communications Server (LCS) and Office Communicator - allowing users to quickly escalate instant messaging sessions to audio conferences for improved collaboration and to view presence information to determine availability, initiate ad-hoc audio conferences, invite users and initiate connection to the conference.
Cisco Unity 5.0 with Microsoft Exchange 2007 - providing Cisco Unity customers a seamless migration path from Exchange 2000 or 2003 to Exchange 2007. Cisco Unity, which has more than 7 million messaging seats deployed, offers enhanced security and networking integration with Cisco IP phones, legacy PBX and visual voicemail on mobile devices from Nokia, RIM as well as Windows-based mobile devices.
Cisco Unified Communications Manager with Microsoft Exchange 2007 - for customers that choose to deploy the new unified messaging capabilities of Exchange 2007 with the rich call processing, video, mobility, and presence services offered by Cisco Unified Communications Manager.
Cisco Unified Communications Manager with Microsoft Office Communicator - extends voice, video, and presence services, including advanced telephony features, security, quality of service, call admissions control and interoperability with legacy private branch exchanges (PBXs.). This latest version of Communications Manager (formerly CallManager) increases the scalability of this solution to 10,000 users per cluster and to more than 100,000 users for multicluster enterprise solutions, addressing the communication needs of large enterprise customers.
In the future, Cisco plans to add support for Microsoft® Office Communications Server 2007 and Microsoft Office Communicator 2.0, and is currently testing these solutions as part of the Microsoft® Office Communications Server 2007 beta program.

Microsoft Exchange 2007 interoperability with Cisco Unified Communications Manager is available now. Microsoft Exchange 2007 interoperability with Cisco Unity is scheduled to be available in May 2007. Increased scalability for the Microsoft Office Communicator, Microsoft Live Communications Server and the Cisco Unified Communications system is scheduled to be available in May 2007. Microsoft LCS click-to-conference with MeetingPlace audio and web conferencing is scheduled to be available in April 2007, as is the Unified MeetingPlace integration with Exchange 2007.

MSFT: Microsoft Announces General Availability Plans for Microsoft Forecaster 7.0

Microsoft Corp. subsidiary FRx Software Corp. today announced that Microsoft® Forecaster 7.0, the latest release of the company’s budgeting and planning software, will be released to manufacturing on March 28, 2007. This latest version of Microsoft Forecaster focuses on enhanced usability, adaptability and visibility, giving organizations confidence that their budgets are realistic and accurate, and enabling them to monitor business conditions and respond to new business opportunities and challenges to improve overall performance.

“Our customers and partners have told us they want an affordable application that will make budgeting and forecasting less cumbersome, faster to implement and easier to use and that will offer greater adaptability to changing business conditions, all of which are addressed in Microsoft Forecaster 7.0,” said Andy Kamlet, director of marketing and sales of Denver, Colo.-based FRx Software. “We seem to have struck a chord with customers as they have reviewed this release, with survey results from our customer preview program showing that 95 percent of them are ‘satisfied’ to ‘very satisfied’ with what they’ve seen.”

Usability, Adaptability, Visibility — Three Pillars in Microsoft Forecaster 7.0

Microsoft Forecaster 7.0 includes many capabilities that support the release’s overarching themes of usability, adaptability and visibility. Usability is of prime importance to customers because many business decision-makers who contribute to the budgeting process — especially those in manufacturing, supply-chain and service organizations — typically budget once a year, limiting their ability to become familiar with their applications. Usability is enhanced in Microsoft Forecaster 7.0 with the introduction of a new user interface and streamlined navigation, among other features, reducing the time it takes to learn the application.

Also key to midmarket segment companies is adaptability in the face of changing business dynamics, both internal and external to the organization. Microsoft Forecaster 7.0 offers customers the ability to take advantage of up to 10 segments or dimensions for more precise budgeting, and the new Total Types functionality reduces the number of calculations or trees to be maintained by the user. These capabilities shorten implementation time and streamline regular maintenance.

Microsoft Forecaster 7.0 still allows users of Microsoft FRx® to integrate their general ledger and budget data from Microsoft Forecaster into reports generated by Microsoft FRx. However, the release extends visibility by including new functionality related to what fields can be viewed, especially in the human resources area of the application, as well as a variety of new formatting options. These include numeric, font and conditional formatting, which allow those responsible for creating templates and reports to meet the needs of their users, thus increasing user satisfaction.

Customers Anticipate Business Benefits With Microsoft Forecaster 7.0

Customers such as the Cable & Telecommunications Association for Marketing (CTAM) say they believe Microsoft Forecaster 7.0 will help make their organizations more effective in the long run because of time savings and other efficiencies the new release makes possible.

“We’d like to be able to budget and do reforecasts more often, and we think Microsoft Forecaster 7.0 will make that possible,” said MariAnne Woehrle, director of Information and Technology for CTAM, a nonprofit association for the cable industry based in Alexandria, Va. “This version makes it easier to keep everything in one place. So if something unforeseen happens, such as an invoice being a lot higher or lower than expected, we can immediately identify the issue, recognize the impact, then re-forecast it into our quarter and reflect it in our financial statements, and have a better picture. We’re hoping it will save time on budgeting, too. In the past, we used Excel® spreadsheets and then tried to consolidate them and then find the backup. With Microsoft Forecaster, users can put in their line items — whether they’re trips or hotels or whatever they’re doing — and the program accumulates all of the data for them into the cost centers. Then the data all roll up into a sheet, so we can see automatically where we are to produce the budget.”

A Great Opportunity for Partners and Resellers

Microsoft Forecaster 7.0 offers many benefits to those that sell and implement it, in part because of increasing demand for budgeting and planning solutions. A 2006 report by market research firm IDC, titled “Worldwide Business Performance Management Applications 2006–2010 Forecast and 2005 Vendor Shares” (IDC, Doc #203414, Sep 2006), predicts that budgeting and planning applications will be a prime driver of growth in the worldwide financial and business performance management analytic applications space in 2007. Specifically, they will account for 31 percent, about $600 million (U.S.), of the projected $1,984 million (U.S.) total market revenue, according to the report. Meanwhile, in the 2007 “Beyond the Hype” webcast review of business performance management vendors and trends, BPM Partners noted that 55 percent of respondents it surveyed are looking for budgeting and planning solutions as the first step of a performance management initiative.

The fact that Microsoft Forecaster 7.0 includes 10 budgeting segments as a core capability is also a benefit to reselling partners because it opens up additional vertical industries beyond those that have already adopted Microsoft Forecaster, such as government agencies, utilities, and educational institutions that tend to need more than the traditional three segments, or dimensions, found in the previous release.

“Our clients are all utilities and local governments, most of which need more than three segments, so the expansion to 10 is a very big plus,” said Duncan Shaw, co-president of Cogsdale Corp., a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner and a Microsoft Business Solutions ISV/ Solutions competency partner based in Prince Edward Island, Canada. Other key benefits, according to Shaw, are the integration with the core accounting system, and the intuitive user interface, a huge benefit when presenting the product in sales situations.

Pricing and Availability

Microsoft Forecaster 7.0 will release to manufacturing March 28, 2007, and will be generally available in early April. Pricing starts at $8,500 (U.S.) for the server plus one user, plus $500 (U.S.) per additional user*. Customers currently on the Microsoft Forecaster support and maintenance plan can receive the upgrade at no additional charge as part of their support and maintenance agreement.

Microsoft Forecaster 7.0 Tour

The Microsoft Forecaster 7.0 Tour will take place April 16–20, covering 20 cities across North America including New York, Boston, Atlanta, San Diego, Detroit and Toronto. On the tour, customers and partners will gain insight into this solution while having the opportunity to fully understand the features and benefits, learn useful tips, and network with other users. Those who want to register or obtain more details should visit http://www.frxsoftware.com/tour

About FRx Software Corp.

FRx Software Corp., a Microsoft subsidiary, is a provider of solutions that give small and midsize businesses, large corporations and divisions of global enterprises the control they need to be more effective. Microsoft FRx is licensed by more than 110,000 sites worldwide to gain immediate control of financial reporting, allowing financial professionals to save time and manage change effectively. Microsoft Forecaster gives customers a fast and affordable way to gain control over budgeting and planning. Used together or separately, these solutions provide the financial visibility organizations need to help actively manage their business and take decisive action. Microsoft FRx and Microsoft Forecaster are available directly or through a worldwide channel of partners.

MSFT: Microsoft Announces 512MB Memory Unit for Xbox 360 and Increased Xbox LIVE Arcade Game Size Limit

At the Game Developers Conference (GDC) 2007, Microsoft Corp. today announced plans to launch a 512MB Memory Unit for the Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system and an increase in the official size limit of Xbox LIVE® Arcade games from 50 MB to 150 MB.

The 512MB Memory Unit, available worldwide beginning April 3, 2007, will retail for an estimated retail price of $49.99 (U.S.) in North America.* The 512MB Memory Unit will be pre-loaded with the hit Xbox LIVE Arcade game “Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved” from developer Bizarre Creations Ltd. for a limited time. The original 64MB Memory Unit will simultaneously drop in price from $39.99 to $29.99 (ERP).*

Eight times larger than the 64MB Memory Unit, the 512MB Memory Unit will provide Xbox 360 owners with vastly expanded storage capabilities for gaming on the go, allowing gamers to easily store and transport their gamer profile and save game data, Xbox LIVE Arcade games and Xbox LIVE Marketplace content. The 512MB Memory Unit also gives Xbox 360 owners the ability to download exclusive content from any of the 45,000 Xbox 360 kiosks accessible at retail outlets worldwide.

Beginning today, the Xbox LIVE Arcade game size limit has increased from 50 MB to 150 MB, giving developers greater flexibility in game design and expanding the opportunity to add advanced game features while still keeping games compact.

“The new size limit offers developers increased flexibility and continued opportunities for innovative game development, while also ensuring that the millions of gamers on Xbox LIVE can continue to easily access, download and play all Xbox LIVE Arcade games on Xbox 360,” said Chris Early, product unit manager for Xbox LIVE Arcade and Microsoft Casual Games at Microsoft. “If you take a look at current games like ‘Roboblitz’ and ‘Small Arms,’ it’s clear that our developers deliver amazing game experiences within a compact size limit. Our focus is on continuing to provide developers with an environment that allows for the creation of cost-efficient games and that nurtures an artistic and creative approach to game development.”

“As we prepare to launch our first Xbox LIVE Arcade game, ‘Boom Boom Rocket,’ we’re able to see how dynamic and creative this platform is,” said Chip Lange, vice president of Online Commerce for Electronic Arts Inc. (EA). “Having ‘Wing Commander Arena’ on Xbox LIVE Arcade allows us to take full advantage of the online play and bring to life a 16-player online arcade experience that delivers unparalleled arcade action.”

This week at GDC, Microsoft will showcase forthcoming Xbox LIVE Arcade games from a cross-section of genres to the game development community:

• “Boom Boom Rocket” (EA and Bizarre Creations). This eagerly anticipated title from EA and Bizarre Creations is a hypnotic rhythm music game that will launch on Xbox LIVE Arcade this spring, priced at 800 Microsoft Points.

• “3D Ultra™ Minigolf Adventures” (Sierra Online and Wanako Games). The first outdoor sports game on Xbox LIVE Arcade, “3D Ultra Minigolf Adventures” lets players putt their way through 36 fun-filled holes on wild courses that include settings such as the Classic Carnival and the fantastical Outer Space.

• “Eets: Chowdown” (Klei Entertainment Inc.). A completely revamped version of the popular PC title, “Eets: Chowdown” offers a fun puzzle game experience unlike anything else available on Xbox LIVE Arcade, and features new items and 120 new levels.

• “Jetpac Refuelled” (Rare Ltd.). This is a new take on Rare/Ultimate’s 1983 classic space blaster with enhanced graphics and Xbox LIVE features; players must clear a path through hordes of aliens to refuel their ship and amass a fortune over the course of more than 100 high-definition levels.

• “Pinball FX” (ZEN Studios Ltd.). “Pinball FX” offers an unparalleled pinball experience that will be fun for novices and experts alike, with realistic ball physics and stunning 3-D tables. “Pinball FX” also features real-time, head-to-head competition over Xbox LIVE and Xbox LIVE Vision camera support.


About Xbox LIVE Arcade

Xbox LIVE Arcade on Xbox 360 is the premier destination for digitally distributed high-definition games. Xbox LIVE Arcade is a fast-growing phenomenon with more than 20 million game downloads and a diverse library of original development and classic titles from the world’s best independent and established developers and publishers. With a dynamically updated library and free** trials for every title, Xbox LIVE Arcade makes it easy for every type of gamer — from casual to hard-core — to get instantly immersed in the fun. Xbox LIVE Arcade also lets friends connect and play these incredible games either from the same room or from around the world via the Xbox LIVE online entertainment network. More information can be found online at http://www.xbox.com/en-us/games/livearcade