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

Seven Logitech Products Win CES Innovations Awards

Seven Logitech (SWX: LOGN) (NASDAQ: LOGI) products were named 2008 CES Innovations award winners for excellence in design and engineering, including the Logitech® Harmony® One advanced universal remote, which won the prestigious Best of Innovations award in the Home-Entertainment Accessories category. All of the award-winning Logitech products will be on display at the 2008 International CES tradeshow in the Logitech booth (No. 35512, South Hall, Las Vegas Convention Center).

“It is truly an honor for Logitech to be recognized alongside so many other great products,” said Jerry Quindlen, chief executive officer of Logitech. “These awards validate our deep commitment to world-class design and acknowledge our design and engineering organizations for their persistent devotion to delivering products that delight our customers.”

The award-winning products include:

Best of Innovations: The Logitech Harmony One Advanced Universal Remote
Winner of the CES 2008 Design and Engineering Award: Best of Innovations in Home-Entertainment Accessories, the Harmony® One advanced universal remote control marks a significant leap in the evolution of the best-selling line of Harmony remotes. Offering the same one-touch, activity-based control as other Harmony remotes, the Harmony One makes controlling home entertainment even easier with a full-color touch screen, an intuitive button layout and an exceptionally comfortable user-friendly design.

To better address ergonomics, the Harmony One remote features a curved, exceptionally comfortable shape that is easy for anyone in the family to hold, regardless of hand size. Presenting an elegant piano-black top and a silver base, and black buttons with white backlighting, Harmony One is the perfect complement for any living room. And the rechargeable remote’s recharging station has a sleek profile with an adjustable light that makes it easy to find, even in the dark.

Honoree: Logitech diNovo Mini Palm-Sized Keyboard with Media Remote and ClickPad
For people who have connected their PC to their TV, the Logitech® diNovo Mini™ keyboard with media remote and ClickPad makes it easy to control PC entertainment from the sofa. For easy navigation, the diNovo Mini palm-sized keyboard features backlighting and an innovative ClickPad, which can be used as a touch pad to point, scroll and click – or as a directional pad to navigate menus and make selections. For unfettered use from anywhere in the living room, the mini-keyboard uses Bluetooth® 2.0 wireless technology.

Honoree: Logitech Squeezebox Duet Network Music System
The Logitech® Squeezebox™ Duet network music system extends the promise of the award-winning Squeezebox products, which allow people to access and listen to the music they love in any room of their home. The Squeezebox Duet offers an innovative controller, which includes a full-color LCD screen, and a compact receiver – enabling people to wirelessly browse, select and play their digital music on their existing stereo speakers anywhere in the home.

To help people navigate their digital music collections, the new Squeezebox Controller features a 2.4-inch full-color LCD screen. The multi-room controller uses a convenient scroll wheel, familiar menus and intuitive buttons, making it easy for people to browse, select and play their personal music collection, Internet radio and online subscription services.

Honoree: Logitech G9 Laser Mouse
The Logitech® G9 Laser Mouse takes customization to the extreme, giving PC gamers the ability to modify nearly every part of the G9 mouse for the best personal fit, feel and performance. With the G9 mouse, gamers can enjoy interchangeable grips, on-the-fly dpi switching ranging from 200 dpi to 3200 dpi, full-speed USB laser tracking, an onboard-memory profiling system, weight tuning, a custom-color LED and the hyper-fast MicroGear™ Precision Scroll Wheel.

Honoree: Logitech Pure-Fi Dream Premium Bedroom Music System for iPod
The Logitech® Pure-Fi Dream™ Premium Bedroom Music System for iPod® establishes a new category of iPod speakers for the bedroom. The Pure-Fi Dream speakers feature an innovative application of motion- and light-sensing technology, premium audio, a built-in radio and alarm clock functions all in a stylish, compact speaker system perfect for any night stand. A premium accompaniment to any iPod, the Pure-Fi Dream speakers offer one-button access to iPod playlists and radio stations.

Honoree: Logitech MX Air Rechargeable Cordless Air Mouse
The Logitech® MX Air™ Rechargeable Cordless Air Mouse works on the desk and in the air. Similar to the way people use a remote to control a television, when holding the MX Air mouse, people can now lean back and relax while navigating the computer and enjoying media content. To enable effortless in-air navigation, the new mouse combines three important technologies – Freespace™ motion-control, gesture command and wireless – so people can point, select and play media files with just a flick of the wrist.

Honoree: Logitech VX Nano Cordless Laser Mouse
The Logitech® VX Nano Cordless Laser Mouse for Notebooks offers the tiny, plug-and-forget Nano-receiver. The mouse’s Nano-receiver provides highly mobile notebook PC and MacBook® users with a mouse that simplifies life on the road. Because the USB receiver is so small, people no longer need to constantly plug and unplug it when moving from place to place.

About Logitech
Logitech is a world leader in personal peripherals, driving innovation in PC navigation, Internet communications, digital music, home-entertainment control, gaming and wireless devices. Founded in 1981, Logitech International is a Swiss public company traded on the SWX Swiss Exchange (LOGN) and on the Nasdaq Global Select Market (LOGI).

Ariba Helps Companies Rein in Marketing Spend

Marketing and sales go hand in hand. If you don’t market your goods and services, it’s tough to sell them. But, in an increasingly global economy, the costs of marketing have become significant. Which poses a unique challenge to today’s chief marketing and procurement officers: how can we expand our reach through marketing projects and control our costs while maintaining our brand identity and increasing our ROI? On January 17, Ariba, Inc. (NASDAQ: ARBA), the leading spend management solutions provider, will host an interactive webcast to discuss ways in which companies can do just this. The live session will take place at 1 p.m. ET.

"Marketing organizations are under constant pressure to find innovative ways to promote their brand. And they must carefully balance their investments across print, online and broadcast channels," said Kris Colby, Director, Spend Management Services, Ariba. "With budgets typically very tight, CMOs must identify the right mix of programs and work closely with their peers in procurement to maximize their investments and the returns they generate."

During the January 17 webinar, Ariba will outline best practices that companies can implement to achieve dramatic and sustainable savings across their marketing spend while maintaining the quality of their programs and improving productivity, including:

1. Get a grip:
   
   The key to successfully sourcing marketing spend lies in understanding the unique requirements and concerns of key stakeholders and developing an integrated approach to address them. Be sure to allow stakeholders to communicate their needs and be willing to make the trade offs necessary to drive savings without sacrificing quality.



2. Remove the fear factor:
   
   Demonstrate how cost-efficiency and quality can co-exist and increase the value that marketing delivers through re-pricing and aggregating vendors, re-defining specifications, formalizing processes and tying them to contract compliance, and increasing collaboration with key suppliers.


3. Educate:
   
   By outlining the value and opportunities created by effective spend management - for instance, money saved can be used to fund additional projects - you can gain the buy-in needed to drive your program on an enterprise-wide basis.


4. Customize your approach:
   
   Marketing projects have unique requirements that must be taken into account when developing strategic sourcing events. By adapting your approach to account for their nuances and allowing suppliers to outline their creative capabilities, you can adequately compare price and non-price factors to make optimal decisions that align with and advance both marketing and overall business goals.


5. Look beyond technology:
   
   When it comes to effectively managing marketing spend, software alone is not enough. By leveraging solutions that combine technology, commodity expertise and services, you can more effectively compare suppliers based on unique characteristics and make optimal sourcing decisions that lower costs while increasing quality.

"With the right processes in place, companies can maximize their marketing investments and execute innovative and highly creative programs that deliver results," Colby said.

To learn more about Ariba's spend management solutions and services and the results they are helping organizations of all sizes deliver across categories, please visit www.ariba.com.


To register for the January 17 webcast, please visit: https://event.on24.com

About Ariba, Inc.

Ariba, Inc. is the leading provider of spend management solutions to help companies realize rapid and sustainable bottom line results. Successful companies around the world in every industry use Ariba Spend Management™ software and services. Ariba can be contacted in the U.S. at 1.650.390.1000 or at www.ariba.com.

Broadcom Announces High Definition PVR Satellite System-on-a-Chip Solution for Direct Broadcast Satellite Set-Top Boxes

Broadcom Corporation (Nasdaq: BRCM), a global leader in semiconductors for wired and wireless communications, today announced a new single-chip, multi-format high definition (HD) satellite set-top box solution that enables manufacturers to develop low cost satellite set-top boxes (STBs) with personal video recorder (PVR) functionality.
The new Broadcom® satellite system-on-a-chip (SoC) is manufactured in 65 nanometer (nm) process technology that features the highest level of functionality, fully integrating a dual tuner/demodulator, and the latest generation of AVC (advanced video coding) decoder that supports multiple video formats. By reducing the number of components required to develop satellite set-top box products, Broadcom has reduced power consumption by more than 50% over competing solutions, lowering system bill of materials (BOM) cost while reducing the complexity and size of designing next generation satellite STBs with watch-and-record capabilities.

Announced today is the single-chip BCM7335 satellite SoC set-top box solution with PVR functionality that supports worldwide standards for direct broadcast satellite (DBS) set-top boxes based on DVB-S2, DVB-S and 8PSK, and is backward compatible with the DVB-S standards. Built around previous generations of Broadcom digital cable and satellite STB chips and technology, service providers that deploy set-top boxes designed around the BCM7335 can cost effectively provide their subscribers with advanced HD television viewing features, improved picture quality and PVR functionality.

"The BCM7335 offers the highest level of integration in a single chip that enables service providers to offer advanced features, such as watch-and-record functionality, to their subscribers to enhance the viewing experience," said Nicholas Dunn, Director of Marketing for Broadcom's Satellite Set-Top Box line of business. "With this new SoC, coupled with our successful 65 nanometer process technology, Broadcom continues to fuel the technical innovation in the satellite industry and highly integrated single-chip solutions that reduce power, PCB size, complexity and overall system cost."

"With the expanding number of HDTV channels being delivered by satellite pay-TV providers, it has become essential for them to continue offering advanced STBs with robust features and improved functionality as a differential advantage," said Michael Inouye, Research Analyst at In-Stat. "Broadcom's BCM7335 with PVR functionality, and higher capacities enabled by 8PSK modulation, is one of those SoCs well suited for more efficient HD channel delivery and widespread adoption."

Technical Information

The BCM7335 is Broadcom's next generation satellite set-top box system on a single chip manufactured in the 65nm process. It integrates a dual tuner/demodulator from the BCM4506 front-end device and the latest generation of AVC decoders that supports multiple video formats.

It operates on a dual-threaded MIPS® CPU core running at 450 MHz resulting in over 950 DMIPS in performance. The BCM7335 is designed to support UMA and non-UMA memory architectures, utilizing a 400-MHz clock, 32 + 16-bit wide double date rate (DDR2) memory interface for enhanced performance and allows cost effective memory implementations.

The BCM7335 supports several interfaces for TV output on-chip that is integrated on-chip including the HDMI, baseband composite, component or S-Video, and incorporates Broadcom's advanced 2D graphics engine that enables true studio-quality text and graphics, efficiently using its memory and bandwidth.

The BCM7335 is designed using the 65 nanometer process -- the most advanced lithographic node for manufacturing semiconductors in large volumes today that provides significant benefits over 90nm and 130nm processes by enabling lower power consumption, smaller size and higher levels of integration. For Broadcom, the move to 65 nanometer process technology is changing the competitive landscape because of the breadth and depth of the communications intellectual property the company possesses. Without a broad portfolio of market-leading solutions to integrate, competitors are not able to take full advantage of the benefits that these next generation processes provide.

Availability and Pricing

The BCM7335 high definition PVR satellite SoC is sampling to early access customers. Pricing is available upon request for manufacturers of satellite TV set-top boxes.

Broadcom also makes available to early access customers a fully supported reference design (BCM97335) that ensures cost efficient design and manufacturing, and faster time-to-market. The BCM97335 reference design is a development platform for set-top box design based on the BCM7335 and is available with complete software source code, schematics and Gerber files, and provides detailed design information for manufacturers of satellite TV set-top box terminals.

About Broadcom's Broadband Communications Group

Broadcom offers manufacturers a range of broadband communications and consumer electronics SoCs that enable voice, video and data services over residential wired and wireless networks. These highly integrated silicon solutions continue to enable the most advanced system solutions on the market, which include digital cable, satellite and IP set-top boxes and media servers, broadband modems and residential gateways, high definition and digital televisions, HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc® players, DVD recorders and personal video recorders.

About Broadcom

Broadcom Corporation is a major technology innovator and global leader in semiconductors for wired and wireless communications. Broadcom® products enable the delivery of voice, video, data and multimedia to and throughout the home, the office and the mobile environment. We provide the industry's broadest portfolio of state-of-the-art, system-on-a-chip and software solutions to manufacturers of computing and networking equipment, digital entertainment and broadband access products, and mobile devices. These solutions support our core mission: Connecting everything®.

Broadcom is one of the world's largest fabless semiconductor companies, with 2006 revenue of $3.67 billion, and holds over 2,300 U.S. and 1,000 foreign patents, more than 7,100 additional pending patent applications, and one of the broadest intellectual property portfolios addressing both wired and wireless transmission of voice, video and data.

Broadcom is headquartered in Irvine, Calif., and has offices and research facilities in North America, Asia and Europe. Broadcom may be contacted at +1.949.926.5000 or at http://www.broadcom.com.

Cisco to Demonstrate 'Visual Networking' Experiences at 2008 International CES

Cisco® today announced it will feature new consumer products and innovative prototypes at the 2008 International Consumer Electronics Show, January 7-10 in the Las Vegas Convention Center. The featured demonstrations highlight new visual networking experiences that combine streaming digital video technology and social networking applications.

Internet video accounts for 40 percent of Internet traffic today.* YouTube alone receives more than 65,000 new videos everyday.** This explosion of professional and user-generated video content, including video for use as entertainment and communications, can now span three screens via the TV, PC and mobile phone. Visual networking is enabling video content to be transparently created, further customized, stored and delivered on a single, integrated wire-to-wireless network.

"Video is the next wave of Internet disruption," said John Chambers, chairman and CEO, Cisco. "Cisco is at the forefront of this market transition, providing consumers with more choice, better navigation of content, higher quality video, and faster, more personalized interaction. Together with our partners, we are expanding the Human Network to create compelling visual networking experiences by connecting consumers to digital content in ways never before possible - when, where and how they want it."

The company will showcase several existing products and innovative prototypes at the 2008 International CES that deliver a superior multi-media experience and allow consumers to experience visual networking:

• Next-Generation Cable Set-Top Boxes and OpenCable Applications - Cisco offers access to the Internet and premium content services on consumers' TVs via its next-generation set-top boxes. The set-top boxes are also designed to stream digital video content through the entire home and offer consumers added storage for storing music, movies, programs and photos, and feature new interactive guide capabilities, search functions and more;
  


• Internet Protocol Set-Top Boxes and Middleware Solutions - Cisco's Internet Protocol Next-Generation Network (IP NGN) set-top boxes integrate the home media experience by delivering many services including data, voice and video to many screens such as a television, PC, game station, mobile phone or other devices;
  


• Integrated Connected Home and Connected Life Technologies for Service Providers and Retail - Linksys Media Center Extenders work with PCs from most major manufacturers to stream video, including home video, live TV and movies plus music and photos to other devices in the home. Cisco also offers Interactive & Community Applications making it easy for service providers to support communications outside the home, across a broad range of devices; and
  


• High-Speed Data, Voice and Wireless Solutions - Wireless-N Dual Band Home Networking technology from Cisco's Linksys division offers video-grade wireless networking that can help consumers to stream high-quality premium video content on media devices throughout the home.
  

Cisco creates "connections" between people and what they treasure most. The company offers consumers innovative new ways to communicate with friends and family, discover entertainment content and access information in different locations via multiple devices. Cisco's consumer business includes the Linksys family of home networking products, Scientific Atlanta's set-top boxes, and Cisco's media solutions and content delivery system. Through a close collaboration with its technology partners, service providers, content publishers, retailers and consumer electronic device manufacturers, Cisco is expanding the Human Network to create new visual networking experiences.

To see demonstrations of Cisco's consumer products and prototypes at 2008 International CES, please visit room N246 in the North Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center. For more information about Cisco at 2008 International CES, go to http://newsroom.cisco.com/CES2008/.

About Cisco Systems
Cisco, (NASDAQ: CSCO), is the worldwide leader in networking that transforms how people connect, communicate and collaborate. Information about Cisco can be found at http://www.cisco.com. For ongoing news, go to http://newsroom.cisco.com.

Cisco, the Cisco logo and Cisco Systems, Linksys and the Linksys logo are registered trademarks or trademarks of Cisco Systems, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the United States and certain other countries. All other trademarks mentioned in this document are the property of their respective owners. The use of the word partner does not imply a partnership relationship between Cisco and any other company. This document is Cisco Public Information.

* RBC Capital Markets Video 2.0, September 10, 2007
** CIBC World Markets, Internet Video is Set to Reach Critical Mass, November 15, 2007

SEC Announces 100 Percent Return of Funds to Defrauded Bio-Heal Investors

The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced the mailing of checks totaling more than $2.7 million to 833 investors who were victims of the fraudulent promotion and sale of illegally issued shares of Bio-Heal Laboratories, Inc. The Fair Fund distribution represents a 100 percent return of the defrauded investors' money.

In April 2005, the Commission sued Bio-Heal, a publicly-held company that claimed to develop topical natural healing products in Nicaragua, and five other corporate entities that received the illegally issued shares and sold them. When the Commission filed its complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, it obtained an emergency asset freeze against Bio-Heal and the other entities, freezing their proceeds from the sale of the illegally issued shares.

"The Commission's quick action in this case ensured this money would not be dissipated and lost to innocent investors," said David Nelson, the Commission's Regional Director in Miami. "We are particularly gratified that it has resulted in a 100 percent return of investors' losses through this Fair Fund."

In the Fair Funds provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, Congress gave the Commission increased authority to distribute ill-gotten gains and civil money penalties to harmed investors. To date, the Commission has returned more than $3 billion to investors through Fair Fund distributions.

The Commission's complaint against Bio-Heal alleged the company improperly issued 12 million shares of its stock to several entities without a restrictive legend based on a fraudulent attorney opinion letter claiming they were exempt from registration with the Commission. The complaint further alleged that two of those entities then dumped their Bio-Heal shares on the market at the same time as the stock was being fraudulently touted to investors over the Internet.

The Commission obtained a final judgment by consent against Bio-Heal, and default final judgments against the entities that received and sold the Bio-Heal shares, in April 2006, at which time the District Court also created the Fair Fund. The investors who were mailed distributions today bought Bio-Heal stock during the fraudulent touting in February, March, and April 2005.

Questions regarding the Fair Fund distribution may be directed to the Court-appointed distribution agent, Melanie E. Damian, Esq., by:

Visiting the fund Web site at http://www.biohealfund.com;

Calling toll-free 1-800-648-0755;

Writing to Melanie E. Damian, Esq. at either Damian & Valori LLP, 1000 Brickell Avenue, Suite 1020, Miami, FL, 33131 or c/o Global Risk Solutions, Inc., P.O. Box 310130, Miami, FL, 33231.

Dell and Sun Microsystems Announce Solaris 10 Distribution Agreement

Dell and Sun Microsystems have signed an OEM agreement for Dell to make the Solaris Operating System (OS) and Solaris support services available directly to customers for select Dell PowerEdge servers.


The multi-year distribution agreement was announced live from Oracle OpenWorld, where Sun President and CEO, Jonathan Schwartz and Dell Chairman and CEO, Michael Dell, are keynote speakers. With this announcement, Dell is expanding the range of enterprise-class operating systems it offers to its customers and Sun is expanding the reach of its Solaris OS.

As part of the relationship, Dell and Sun will cooperate on system certification and the development of offerings based on Solaris and Dell solutions. In addition, Dell and Sun have agreed to work together to secure support from key ISVs for Solaris on Dell PowerEdge servers. Both companies will work to ensure the combination of Dell PowerEdge servers and the Solaris OS delivers customer choice and value for applications that demand reliability, security, scalability, performance and integrated virtualization.

"Dell's offering of Solaris redefines the market opportunity for both companies," said Jonathan Schwartz, president and CEO, Sun Microsystems. "The relationship gives Dell broader reach into the global free software community with Solaris and OpenSolaris and gives Sun access to channels and customers across the volume marketplace."

"Part of our focus to simplify IT means delivering customers choice and by adding Solaris to our solutions set we are able to do that," said Michael Dell, chairman and CEO, Dell.

For more details on the agreement, visit: http://www.sun.com/software/solaris/dell or http://www.sun.com/news.

HP Advances Flexibility, Efficiency of Blades Across the Data Center

HP today announced virtualization and power management technologies that help customers streamline IT operations to realize dramatic cost savings, increased flexibility and improved energy efficiency.

Based on the market-leading HP BladeSystem c-Class infrastructure – a self-contained unit of servers, storage, network, management software and power and cooling technology – the new offerings mark the next major phase of HP’s strategy to build modular, integrated, automated data centers that reduce administrative time and free resources to focus on the needs of the business.

Highlighting the announcement is the HP Virtual Connect Enterprise Manager, which improves IT processes by extending the capability of HP BladeSystem Virtual Connect technology to all blade enclosures in a data center.

Virtual Connect technology allows customers to pre-assign network and storage connections once and then add, move, replace or upgrade servers in minutes. The new Enterprise Manager enables IT administrators to manage and control these connections across 100 c-Class enclosures, or up to 1,600 blade servers, from a single console.

By dynamically moving server connections across a data center, or to remote sites, customers can more effectively and efficiently meet changing application workload and performance needs. In addition, the new software can be operated by a single administrator, which helps eliminate process steps and administration time, while providing an audit trail and limiting configuration conflicts.

“Enterprises need to dramatically simplify management on a large scale,” said Jonathan Eunice, principal IT advisor at Illuminata Inc., a research and advisory services company. ”HP Virtual Connect Enterprise Manager is important because it lays the foundation for coordinating IT infrastructure across the data center.”

HP’s advancements in virtualization, management, power and cooling have helped it secure the No. 1 position in blade server market revenue and units worldwide, according to IDC.(1) The company shipped more than 150,000 virtual connect-enabled servers in the past year; these systems can now be enhanced by the capabilities of HP Virtual Connect Enterprise Manager.

“HP Virtual Connect gave us amazing flexibility to add and recover servers very quickly, speeding up our processes and eliminating wait time in response to our organization,” said Scott Hemmerlein, systems administrator, Information Systems and Technology Management, Indiana University School of Management. “We hope to expand those same time savings beyond one blade enclosure to the rest of our data center with HP Virtual Connect Enterprise Manager.”

Managing physical and virtual environments

HP also is delivering new and enhanced offerings based on HP Insight Control that help manage physical and virtual environments:

HP Server Migration Pack Universal Edition now combines virtual and physical migrations into a single tool to speed migration time of HP ProLiant and BladeSystem servers. A new “queued migration feature” helps to automate, plan and execute multiple migrations at once, with expected support to include Citrix XenServer™, Microsoft® virtual machines, Oracle® VM and VMware.
HP Virtual Machine Management Pack 3.0, another key offering within the Insight Control management portfolio, provides central management of Citrix XenServer, Microsoft virtual machines, Oracle VM and VMware. It helps reduce downtime interruptions with a new predictive failure alert capacity that can relocate virtual machines before hardware failures occur.
HP PolyServe Software for Microsoft SQL Server consolidates large SQL environments onto a single cluster so customers can manage all instances at once, freely add and recover multiple instances, and roll out business applications more quickly while improving reliability.

“Infrastructure issues of cost, time, change and energy continue to challenge our customers, even as great technologies like virtualization help lower costs and speed the pace of making changes,” said Mark Linesch, vice president of marketing, Infrastructure Software, HP. “With these offerings, our recently acquired assets from Opsware and more products on the horizon, HP continues to drive toward an Adaptive Infrastructure inclusive of both physical and virtual resources.”

HP’s data center automation technology acquired from Opsware automates the management of IT infrastructure and assesses the impact of changes, while providing a unified view that spans all infrastructure tiers of an application. HP plans to integrate the Opsware Automation Platform with its existing management solutions, bringing together hardware and software for future data center automation capabilities across the full stack.

Providing IT and facilities with energy-aware control across the data center

The cost to cool a data center can be more than the cost of powering the IT equipment. In fact, a recent study suggests that in a majority of the world’s data centers, 60-70 percent of a data center’s power is associated with cooling the IT equipment.(2)

The new HP Power Distribution Rack controls three-phase power distribution across a row of server racks to more efficiently deliver power where and when it is needed most for significant cost and environmental benefits. The offering allows IT managers to:

Connect to power once across a row of server racks and adapt power distribution as needs change;
Prevent overloads and resolve problems fast with energy-aware, HP Thermal Logic technology; and,
Reduce cabling which lowers complexity and the chance for error with one set of input cables to the end of a row and short power drops to each rack.

The new HP Rackmountable Parallel 3 Phase UPS provides the highest level of power protection from HP and dissipates less than half as much heat into a data center compared to the nearest competitor offering.(3) It enables attached servers to save all work in progress and initiate a shutdown in the event of power loss, and restores it with Thermal Logic power policies to ensure business picks up where it left off.

When compared to competing, less efficient offerings, HP’s new 3 Phase UPS can save more than $1,000 a year in power and cooling costs in the 12-kilowatt rack-mount model and more than $6,000 for the 60-kilowatt row-level configuration.(3)

More information about HP’s solutions for the Adaptive Infrastructure is available at www.hp.com/go/adaptiveinfrastructure.

(1) IDC, Q207 Worldwide Quarterly Server Tracker, August 2007.

(2) HP, Christopher Malone, PhD, Christian Belady, P.E.: “Metrics to Characterize Data Center & IT Equipment Energy Use,” Digital Power Forum, Richardson, Texas, September 2006.

(3) Based on internal HP studies.

Sun Teams With Oracle To Deliver Pre-Configured Data Warehouses

Oracle and Sun Microsystems, Inc., (Nasdaq: JAVA) today announced the availability of the Oracle Optimized Warehouse for Sun. The Oracle Optimized Warehouse for Sun is a complete, out-of-the-box, high-performance data warehouse solution built upon the world's leading database and Sun's leading hardware and operating systems.


The solution, which will be sold by Sun, consists of Oracle Database Enterprise Edition, Oracle Real Application Clusters and Oracle Partitioning on a Sun Fire E20K server, the Sun open source Solaris operating system (OS) and Sun StorageTek 6540 arrays. With all hardware and software components pre-installed, configured, optimized, and ready to run, the Oracle Optimized Warehouse for Sun is the fastest, simplest and lowest-risk way to buy and implement a data warehouse on Oracle and Sun technology.

The Oracle Optimized Warehouse for Sun announced today is sized for data warehouses containing 10TB of raw data. Future validated Oracle Optimized Warehouse configurations are planned to provide larger solutions through the use of modular building blocks. This packaging delivers simplicity and speed of implementation along with the flexibility and power of the world's leading database platform. Oracle's advanced analytic and management capabilities combined with the power and reliability of Sun hardware make the Oracle Optimized Warehouse for Sun a compelling offering.

"The appeal of this pre-configured solution is simple: customers can have a fully functioning, optimized, scalable data warehouse up and running very quickly," said Juan Carlos Soto. "And when that pre-configured solution includes Oracle Database and Sun's open source Solaris operating system, customers know they are getting a reliable, secure, powerhouse computing environment."

"With the Oracle Optimized Warehouse for Sun, it is easier than ever to purchase a world-class data warehouse platform," said Ray Roccaforte, vice president of Data Warehousing and Business Intelligence Platform, Oracle. "Sun and Oracle's joint engineering efforts in testing and optimizing this data warehouse will help reduce costs and implementation times for our customers, while delivering a solution capable of the most demanding workloads and the most complex business analytics."

Based upon years of combined Sun and Oracle engineering expertise in large-scale data warehouses, the Oracle Optimized Warehouse for Sun delivers the ideal database, server, and storage configuration to match customers' business analytic requirements and enables decreased data warehouse implementation time without limiting future growth and analytic agility. Learn more about the Oracle Optimized Warehouse for Sun at: http://www.oracle.com/solutions/business_intelligence/sun.html

Product Availability

The Oracle Optimized Warehouse for Sun is generally available from Sun today. For additional information on the Oracle Optimized Warehouse for Sun, go to: http://www.sun.com/oracle. More details on the Oracle Optimized Warehouse Initiative is available at: http://www.oracle.com/solutions/business_intelligence/optimized-warehouse-initiative.html.

IBM Launches Center for CIO Leadership

To address the increasing role that Chief Information Officers (CIOs) are playing in developing and executing business strategies, IBM (NYSE: IBM) announced today the creation of the Center for CIO Leadership. The Center will bring together executive leaders, academics and other experts from around the world to build practical research and executive development initiatives focused on advancing the CIO profession.

The Center for CIO Leadership will serve as a global community for CIOs through which they can collaborate and learn in order to uncover opportunities where Information Technology will drive business value. The Center -- led by Executive Director, Harvey Koeppel -- will be governed by an advisory council comprised of leading CIOs as well as professors from some of the world's most prestigious universities, including Harvard Business School, MIT and INSEAD.

In addition to creating unique research aimed at the concerns of today's CIOs, the Center will also provide new leadership development and other educational programs. Content for these online and classroom-based education programs will be based on CIO feedback, ongoing research, and outreach to executives with whom CIOs interact, such as CEOs, line-of-business leaders, boards of directors, and government leaders.

"The new Center for CIO Leadership will enable CIOs to share and learn in a community environment in a way that will enhance the profession," said Linda Sanford, senior vice president, IBM enterprise on demand transformation. "Our survey research indicates that CIOs and their teams are looking to break out and create new value and long term growth for their companies, and the education, learning and collaboration provided by the Center for CIO Leadership will help accomplish this."

As part of the opening of the Center, IBM launched the global 2007 CIO Leadership Survey. The Survey, conducted in collaboration with Harvard Business School and MIT Center for Information Systems Research (CISR), included more than 175 CIOs from leading companies around the world.

"Practical research that addresses the needs of today's CIOs is a key pillar of the Center's mission. Understanding from CIOs themselves where they think the gaps are provides an excellent starting point to effect change," said Harvey Koeppel, the Center's executive director.

The Survey reveals that CIOs are increasingly becoming trusted members of the executive business team. Eighty percent of CIOs responded that they are a valued member of the senior leadership team, with 69 percent indicating significant involvement in strategic decision-making. Further, organizations whose CIOs have high levels of strategic involvement demonstrate higher levels of business model and product and service innovation, as well as shared, centralized IT services.

However, critical gaps remain. CIOs believe there are significant opportunities to further apply IT for competitive advantage in the areas of external partnering and reaching new markets. In addition, CIOs are also frustrated at their own skills in managing their career development, with only 37 percent considering themselves highly or exceptionally skilled in this regard. They also see a need to develop change management skills and political savvy in order to be more successful. Furthermore, they feel that the value of their work is not fully recognized from a business perspective. Only 35 percent of respondents felt that the value of IT was adequately measured within the enterprise.

IBM Introduces New Version of IMS Software

IBM (NYSE: IBM) today unveiled Information Management System (IMS) 10, a new hierarchical database management and transaction system that delivers enhanced XML and Web services capabilities, making easier for customers to better use information as a strategic asset by evolving existing business critical applications to Service Oriented Architectures (SOA) .

Initially developed to power the Apollo space program, IMS is recognized as the industry's first modern database and transaction management software. Over the past three decades, the reliability, security and performance of IMS has led it to become the backbone for much of the world's corporate data. In fact, almost ninety five percent of Fortune 1000 companies use IMS for their most critical IBM System z data management needs with more than 50 billion transactions running through IMS databases on a daily basis.
Today's announcement supports IBM's cross-company Information on Demand initiative which is helping global organizations use information for a competitive advantage. Specifically, IMS 10 features a range of new technologies and enhancements that will alter and improve the way information is stored, managed and accessed in mainframe computing environments.

"With IMS 10, standard XML Query language will be available to hierarchically structured data for the first time, delivering unprecedented versatility and information management options to IBM System z customers," said Arvind Krishna, vice president IBM data servers. "This will help customers simplify their development environments while continuing to realize the proven performance benefits and data integrity of IMS."

Early customer and partner tests and evaluations of IMS 10 have prompted overwhelmingly positive responses.

"A major part of Wachovia's SOA environment is supported by IMS, IBM WebSphere software and IBM eServer zSeries hardware," said Keith Harris, Manager of Architecture at Wachovia. "Wachovia has built a set of foundational and business services that it needs to support its delivery channels, such as its online banking, call center and interactive voice response channels. With the IMS Connect solution, users can access all of the client's core business applications -- such as its retail banking, customer information, and relationship and deposit systems -- on the IMS system. Currently, the SOA environment supporting the OLB channel supports over four million users."

The introduction of IMS 10 completes an upgrade of the entire IBM data server portfolio, including the new DB2 9 "Viper" and Informix (IDS) 11 "Cheetah" data servers, as well as new versions of the UniVerse and UniData (U2) data servers. During the first half of 2007, IBM outpaced its competitors in the database software industry -- generating double-digit revenue growth in consecutive quarters and gaining share.

New Technologies Strengthen Mainframe SOA Capabilities

The new IMS 10 includes:

New XQuery, Enhanced XML and Web Services Support - Opening up IMS data to off-the-shelf third party tools, such as those for query generation, and offering a standard, shareable integration point between IMS and other industry databases.
Broader XML and Java Tooling - Encourages new application development and expands connectivity by supporting open standards such as Web 2.0, XML, SOAP, Java, and JDBC.
Dynamic Resource Definition - Eases manageability, simplifying installation and operations which reduces total cost of ownership
Enhanced Database Recovery Control, Multiple Systems Coupling and Security - Increases scalability with availability, recovery, performance, security and capacity enhancements
In addition, the IMS SOAP Gateway, which enables as web services IMS transactions for interoperation with client applications independent of location, programming language, and platform, has been enhanced to provide z/OS environment, PL/I applications and Asynchronous Callout support. This is in addition to its earlier support for COBOL applications and for Windows, AIX, and Linux on System z environments. This new support has been well received by IMS customers including automaker Volvo.

"The IMS SOAP gateway enables Volvo to exploit SOA in their development environment," said Anders Ohrnberg, Senior IMS Technical Specialist, Volvo Information Technology. "Because of this, we can inter-operate with applications independent of location, programming language and platform. This enables reuse and maximizes business flexibility."

IMS 10 will begin shipping worldwide on October 26. For more information about IBM, visit http://www-306.ibm.com/software/data/ims/v10/launch.html

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.

Broadcom Shatters Three Mobile Multimedia Records: HD Video, 12 Megapixel Camera and 3D Gaming Coming Soon to Your Cell Phone

Broadcom Corporation (Nasdaq: BRCM), a global leader in semiconductors for wired and wireless communications, today announced sampling of the industry's first low power multimedia processor that enables a high definition (HD) video camcorder and playback in cell phones and portable media players. The Broadcom® VideoCore® III multimedia processor also supports an up to 12 megapixel digital camera and delivers high performance yet ultra-low power 3D graphics for a world-class gaming experience. HD video, 3D games and high resolution 12 megapixel pictures can be displayed at top quality on full-sized HD televisions and monitors using an on-chip industry standard HDMI interface.
This groundbreaking technology adds a very significant competitive advantage to Broadcom's mobile platforms portfolio. Next generation cell phones based on VideoCore III technology will offer a quantum improvement in mobile audio, video, imaging, navigation and gaming experiences -- all with similar battery life and size of today's compact multimedia handsets.

"Mobile handsets with compelling multimedia features are capturing the imagination of consumers and phone developers alike, driving the industry to push the limits of what a handset can do," said Will Strauss, Principal Analyst from Forward Concepts. "Enabling HD quality video without draining the battery will provide another leap forward for mobile devices, taking high definition multimedia from novelty to must-have feature."

Large Market Opportunity

Two-thirds of cell phones sold in 2006 included built-in cameras, and most supported basic games and audio playback, according to Forward Concepts. The current generation of cell phones only supports low resolution video recording and playback, and most consumers do not consider it sufficient to replace their "real" digital cameras. Additionally, low resolution cell phones are not capable of playing pre-recorded and TV content without the cumbersome step of optimizing the content for the particular phone model. Today's phones are also not capable of supporting emerging 3D user interfaces and navigation applications. Advances in high resolution mobile displays, the rapidly dropping cost of mobile content storage, faster mobile networks and advances in low power media processing are enabling a new generation of high definition mobile devices with significantly improved multimedia quality.

To address this market opportunity, Broadcom delivers the BCM2727 high definition mobile multimedia processor. The BCM2727 is Broadcom's first product based on its new VideoCore® III multimedia architecture, also announced today. VideoCore III is the third generation of Broadcom's popular and field-proven VideoCore mobile multimedia technology, which has shipped in over 25 million mobile products to date. VideoCore III extends the VideoCore architecture to new performance levels and adds high definition video and multimedia capabilities. By maintaining a superior level of software programmability, VideoCore III can support rapid integration of new features and applications, as well as new and evolving video and audio CODECs in the future. The architecture is based on dual core vector processors tightly coupled with hardware accelerators for video, image processing and 2D/3D graphics. Substantial performance increases for imaging and gaming applications can be achieved while preserving ultra-low power -- a hallmark of the VideoCore architecture.

"VideoCore III raises the bar for mobile multimedia, and for the first time, enables a high definition mobile user experience," said Mark Casey, Vice President and General Manager of Broadcom's Mobile Multimedia line of business. "The BCM2727 delivers a 'triple-play' of technology combining HD camcorder with professional quality camera and next generation graphics, all at extremely low power."

First Cell Phone HD Video Camcorder

The BCM2727 mobile multimedia processor is the first in the industry to support mobile phone HD camcorder functionality by providing 720p HD video encode and decode with H.264 main profile compression at low power levels. Consumers will now be able to capture video on their cell phones with the same quality used in high definition broadcast television. Handsets can support more than 5 hours of high definition video playback or around 3 hours of HD recording using a standard-sized cell phone battery. Content on the handset up to HD resolution can be played back on televisions via an integrated HDMI 1.3 or analog interface.

Advanced Photo Effects with Integrated Image Signal Processor (ISP)

In addition to HD camcorder functionality, the BCM2727 also includes built-in high quality camera processing of up to 12 megapixels. Professional quality picture capture and video recording are enabled with an extremely advanced on-chip image signal processor (ISP) supporting features such as sensor and lens compensation, sharpening, exposure compensation, color correction, red eye reduction and image stabilization. A programmable image pipeline provides additional control, as well as rapid development and integration of new features and further image processing. Images are processed at speeds unparalleled in any mobile phone today: with the ability to process up to 144 million pixels per second, VideoCore III supports on-the-fly photography at up to 12 pictures per second at 12 megapixel camera resolution, or even faster for lower resolution camera sensors.

High Performance 2D/3D Graphics

The BCM2727 features on-chip advanced 2D and 3D graphics accelerators and efficient audio technology that provides not only a rich viewing and listening experience, but also a powerful platform for mobile gaming applications. The graphics pipeline is optimized for efficient Open VG 1.0 and Open GL ES 1.1/2.0 operation and is capable of 32 million triangles per second peak performance. Supporting over fifty multimedia standards, formats, codecs and resolutions, VideoCore III provides the broadest mobile multimedia content support in the industry.

Availability and Pricing

Samples of the BCM2727 processor, with VideoCore III mobile multimedia technology, are now available to early access customers. Pricing is available upon request.

About Broadcom

Broadcom Corporation is a major technology innovator and global leader in semiconductors for wired and wireless communications. Broadcom products enable the delivery of voice, video, data and multimedia to and throughout the home, the office and the mobile environment. We provide the industry's broadest portfolio of state-of-the-art, system-on-a-chip and software solutions to manufacturers of computing and networking equipment, digital entertainment and broadband access products, and mobile devices. These solutions support our core mission: Connecting everything®.

Broadcom is one of the world's largest fabless semiconductor companies, with 2006 revenue of $3.67 billion, and holds over 2,200 U.S. and 900 foreign patents, more than 6,600 additional pending patent applications, and one of the broadest intellectual property portfolios addressing both wired and wireless transmission of voice, video and data. Broadcom is headquartered in Irvine, Calif., and has offices and research facilities in North America, Asia and Europe. Broadcom may be contacted at +1.949.926.5000 or at http://www.broadcom.com.

Adobe to Acquire Virtual Ubiquity

Adobe Systems Incorporated (Nasdaq:ADBE) today announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Virtual Ubiquity and its ground-breaking online word processor, Buzzword. The acquisition furthers Adobe's commitment to foster a vibrant ecosystem for rich Internet application (RIA) development that delivers breakthrough experiences built on Adobe AIR. Separately, Adobe added a new file sharing service to its current online document services. Codenamed “Share,” the beta service will make it easier than ever for people to share, publish and organize documents online.

“For over a decade, Adobe® Acrobat® software and PDF have been the standard way people share and collaborate on high value documents across platforms, with perfect fidelity. Buzzword will build on that leadership and enable fundamental improvements in how people collaborate on documents,” said David Mendels, senior vice president, Business Productivity Business Unit at Adobe. “At the same time, it is an exciting showcase of the power of Adobe’s RIA technology that raises the bar for the quality of experience people should expect in their applications.”

Buzzword, an elegant online word processor, enables individuals to work together to create high quality, page perfect documents. Because it was built with Adobe Flex™ software and runs in the Adobe Flash™ Player, Buzzword enables greater document quality, outstanding typography, page layout controls, and robust support for integrated graphics, regardless of the browser or device. The application also will run on Adobe® AIR™, offering users a hybrid online/offline experience and the ability to work with both hosted and local documents. The powerful collaboration capabilities in Buzzword enable multiple authors to edit and comment on documents from anywhere, at anytime, while document creators can set permissions that virtually eliminate version control chaos. For more information on the acquisition and access to Buzzword beta software, please visit http://www.adobe.com/go/buzzwordfaq.

The founders of Virtual Ubiquity will be joining Adobe, bringing with them a wealth of knowledge and experience in online document collaboration. With extensive background in the development of Lotus Notes and eRoom, the Virtual Ubiquity team developed a rich, collaborative authoring environment for the next generation of work. “We were inspired by the way today’s youth spend their lives working and playing together online, and how this is influencing the way we all think about collaboration,” said Rick Treitman, CEO of Virtual Ubiquity. “This inspiration resulted in an online word processor for the ‘Facebook generation’ that focuses on working together online, without sacrificing quality.”

Increasingly, the Web is becoming the platform for the “future of work,” where people come together to share each other’s work anytime, anywhere. As a leader in RIA development, Adobe is revolutionizing the way people come together to engage with ideas, information and each other. This announcement marks a milestone for Adobe as it expands its leadership in the emerging domain of online document collaboration.

Adobe also made available today a free online document sharing service, codenamed “Share.” Users simply select the documents they want to share, send a message to recipients, and set whether the files will be publicly accessible or restricted. Built with Adobe Flex technology, the rich interface provides a smooth experience, integrating simple workflows to upload and share documents with high quality online previews to speed up finding the right document. Additionally, the beta will include a set of REST APIs to let developers create mash-ups with their applications, including storing and accessing files, as well as creating thumbnails and Flash-based previews of documents. People can learn more about the service and sign-up for access at http://www.adobe.com/go/labs_share .

Virtual Ubiquity is based in Waltham, Massachusetts. The acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to close by the end of November 2007. The addition of Virtual Ubiquity is not expected to have a material impact to Adobe revenue and earnings in fiscal year 2007. Terms were not disclosed.

About Adobe Systems Incorporated
Adobe revolutionizes how the world engages with ideas and information - anytime, anywhere and through any medium. For more information, visit www.adobe.com

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.

SAP Acquires Software License and Maintenance Business from Exclusive Partner SAP Arabia to Strengthen Operations in the Middle East and North Africa

SAP AG (NYSE: SAP) today announced the acquisition of the software license and maintenance business of SAP Arabia, its exclusive long-term partner in the region. Under the terms of the agreement, SAP will acquire selected existing assets, including all existing software license and maintenance customer contracts, and trademarks from SAP Arabia. Aligned with SAP’s global go-to-market strategies, SAP will first establish subsidiaries in Dubai and Saudi Arabia to reinforce its ongoing commitment to deliver value and continuous innovation to customers in the region.

“SAP Arabia has created a good foundation, which we intend to build upon in our goal to meet growing market demand in the region,” said Ernie Gunst, president, Customer Solutions Operations Europe Middle East and Africa, SAP. “This acquisition brings SAP closer to its customers and partners, enabling us to offer them greater business value and innovation.”

Sergio Maccotta, who was formerly managing director in charge of the SAP Arabia relationship, has been named managing director of SAP in the Middle East and North Africa. In his new role, Maccotta will be responsible for strategic planning, operational excellence, sales and field operations, professional services and overall performance for the region. Maccotta will report into Bernd Kraus, who has overall responsibility for the South East Europe and Middle East Market Unit.

As part of the agreement, the formerly named SAP Arabia will continue to work with SAP AG as a strategic partner and non-exclusive value-added reseller within the scope of the SAP Partner Edge program.

“This important step in the overall SAP business strategy has been part of our ongoing discussions with SAP to bring product development closer to the region,” said Essam Enany, president of SAP Arabia. “With over 13 years of experience we have acquired a deep understanding of the local market and are well positioned to become one of SAP’s strongest partners. In the future, we plan to focus our resources on the emerging markets and specialized sectors such as SME, public sector and education.”

The acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions and expected to be completed in SAP’s fourth quarter of 2007. Financial terms of the all cash transaction were not disclosed.

IBM Completes Acquisition of DataMirror

IBM (NYSE: IBM) today announced it has completed its acquisition of DataMirror Corporation (TSX: DMC), a publicly held company based in based in Markham, Ontario, Canada.

IBM announced an agreement to acquire DataMirror on July 16, 2007. DataMirror's operations will be integrated into IBM's Information Management software business.

IBM acquired DataMirror to advance its Information on Demand initiative, IBM's strategy for pursuing the growing market opportunity around helping clients capture insights from information so it can be used as a strategic asset. DataMirror is a provider of technology that identifies and captures data that has been added, updated or deleted and allows the changed data to be delivered in real time to processes, applications and databases. This ensures that continuous, trusted information is available for accurate and timely decision-making.

With today's announcement, IBM has completed 21 strategic acquisitions in support of its cross-company Information on Demand effort. The DataMirror acquisition also furthers two important growth areas for IBM's software business -- information integration and dynamic warehousing -- by delivering new, real-time capabilities to each.

DataMirror has approximately 220 employees and more than 2,200 customers, including Debenhams, FedEx Ground, First American Bank, Priority Health, Tiffany & Co. and Union Pacific Railroad.

For more information, go to http://www-306.ibm.com/software/data/.

IBM and TDK Launch Joint Research & Development Project for Advanced MRAM

IBM (NYSE: IBM) and TDK Corporation today announced a joint research and development program to develop high capacity MRAM (Magnetic Random Access Memory) technology utilizing the spin momentum transfer effect. The companies believe that harnessing the spin momentum transfer effect will allow a much more compact memory cell than is possible with present approaches.

The companies will leverage their respective expertise in areas of fundamental research for new memory technology and magnetic device development to create a high density, high capacity MRAM integrated circuit which can be used as standalone memory or embedded into other IC solutions.
"This collaborative initiative reinforces IBM's commitment to explore new phenomena for memory applications," said Dr. T.C. Chen, vice president, Science and Technology, IBM Research. "The project will focus on creating and demonstrating advanced magnetic materials in demanding memory chip designs."

"This joint research and development will broaden the application of magnetic materials which has been TDK's core technology since 1935," said Mr. Minoru Takahashi, CTO, TDK Corporation.

IBM has been a leader in the development of MRAM memory technology and a pioneer in the fundamental research and development of the magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) and in the prediction and study of the spin momentum transfer effect upon which the memory is based. TDK Corporation is the leader in applying MTJ technology into recording heads for Hard Disk Drives. Both companies have extensive research and patents in design and materials for magnetic data recording.

The research work will be conducted at IBM's TJ Watson Research Center in Yorktown Heights, NY, IBM's Almaden Research Center in San Jose, CA, IBM's ASIC Design Center in Burlington, VT and TDK's subsidiary R&D Center in Milpitas, CA.

MRAM offers significant advantages over competing memory technologies including low power usage, high speed, unlimited endurance (read and write cycles), and inherent non-volatility (retains data without the need for continued power). Market adoption of MRAM has been limited by the inability to cost effectively increase capacity. Spin momentum transfer technology enables MRAM to significantly reduce cell size and thereby increase capacity cost-effectively while maintaining the low power, endurance and non-volatility advantages, potentially making MRAM a preferred solution for memory applications in the automotive, cell phone, handheld computing, and industrial controls.

For more information about IBM Research, visit http://www.ibm.com/research

For more information about TDK, visit http://www.tdk.co.jp/tetop01/index.htm

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.

New Release of BEA AquaLogic BPM Designed To Help Drive Better Business Decisions And Give IT More Power

BEA Systems, Inc. a world leader in enterprise infrastructure software, today announced the general availability of BEA AquaLogic® BPM 6.0, a market-leading software suite designed to integrate the modeling, execution and monitoring of end-to-end business processes to support real-time process optimization. The new release of BEA AquaLogic® BPM 6.0 introduces improved ad-hoc collaboration and business intelligence capabilities that can help business participants share knowledge, coordinate business activities more effectively, and conduct real-time process simulations to help optimize process outcomes. It is also designed to provide IT and developers a more powerful process application platform by offering one of the most comprehensive supports for industry standards, including Business Process Modeling Notation (BPMN), XML Process Definition Language (XPDL 2.0) and the Business Process Execution Language (BPEL 2.0). For developers, BEA AquaLogic® BPM 6.0 introduces a new Eclipse-based development environment and maintains its industry-leading role in extensibility to Java, .NET and emerging development languages and frameworks.

“Companies that have been successfully using business process management at the project or division level are now asking for a process platform that is designed to grow with their business needs to support thousands of complex, multinational, and often mission-critical processes. Businesses cannot take a chance on an unproven, departmental product,” said Shane Pearson, vice president of marketing and product management for BEA Systems. “IT needs a product that can scale and business users need clear and intuitive tools and this major release of BEA AquaLogic® BPM offers both in a single, unified solution.”

"We started with BPM at the tactical level to address a few processes that were slow, manual and time consuming," said Peter Haas, director of technology at the Supreme Court of Louisiana. "But with the rapid success we've seen using BEA's collaborative BPM, we're growing our process improvements to the strategic level, tackling mission-critical items that affect the overall success of the Court."

More Business Value, More Power for IT

The “B” in BPM stands for business, yet many business process management solutions underserve the diverse and nuanced needs of business users. Early business process management projects focused on well understood business processes, like employee on-boarding or order automation. Today, companies are pursuing strategic adoption of BPM, using business process management software to optimize highly complex processes, like distributed healthcare claims processing or financial trading settlement. These strategic processes involve complex decision-making and exception-handling, where the most ideal outcome is dependent on the assembly of diverse information from multiple systems and the effective collaboration between process participants.

BEA AquaLogic® BPM 6.0 is designed to help companies evolve their use of BPM from simply optimizing the business to transforming the business. This new release delivers one of the most comprehensive support for user, system or event-initiated business processes with an expanded set of capabilities focused on the BPM business-user experience. These include:

• Smarter processes with decision activities – Many processes involve decision points where business guidelines are in place, but where the final decision must be carefully considered by a human. BEA AquaLogic® BPM 6.0 is designed to help organizations learn from past decisions by capturing actions, offering inline quantitative data based on past decisions history, and allowing advanced simulation testing, yielding more effective participant decisions or activity automation;


• Process participation through business users’ tool of choice – An updated user experience framework within BEA AquaLogic® BPM 6.0 called WorkSpace Extensions is designed to provide support for a variety of end-user experiences, helping participants engage in process activities through their tool of choice, including enterprise portals, stand-alone process workspaces, email clients and RSS readers.


• Define and change business rules with ease – Any well-mapped process contains a number of implicit or explicit business rules about how processes should run. BEA AquaLogic® BPM 6.0 is designed to let users easily define business rules through web-based tools and allows them to change rules on-the-fly.


• Industry-leading service orchestration and integration – BEA AquaLogic® BPM 6.0 is designed to allow business processes to be easily registered as services with any standards compliant Enterprise Service Bus or Service Registry. In addition, BEA AquaLogic® BPM 6.0 features pre-built integration with BEA AquaLogic® Service Bus and BEA AquaLogic® Service Registry to optimize and automate the end-to-end management and governance of process services.

All in One

While many BPM suites are optimized for a single audience – either IT or business users - BEA is a leading company with a proven solution that is designed to fully support both groups in their collaborative quest for process excellence. BEA AquaLogic® BPM 6.0 moves beyond the limits of traditional human workflow or system-to system process technology by bridging the two into a single, unified, enterprise-class BPM suite built to support the complex, collaborative processes of today's heterogeneous enterprise.

BEA AquaLogic® Business Process Management 6.0 is now generally available and downloadable at: http://commerce.bea.com/products/aqualogic/bpm/albpm.jsp.
For more information, please join a Web seminar titled “Collaborative BPM - Bridging Business and IT” on July 31, 2007 at 11:00 a.m. PST. To register, please visit http://www.bea.com/framework.jsp?CNT=bea_albpm_31jul2007.htm&FP=/content/news_events/events. For additional information, please visit http://www.bea.com/bpm.

About BEA
BEA Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: BEAS) is a world leader in enterprise infrastructure software. Information about how BEA is enabling customers to transform their business by building a Liquid Enterprise(TM) can be found at bea.com.