InformationWeek Daily - Monday, Feb 4, 2008

Why Microsoft's Yahoo Bid Helps Google, IBM, And Apple A combined Microsoft and Yahoo would be a company truly capable of challenging Google in search and online advertising. At least that's what Microsoft believes. Not so fast. Just like Yahoo benefited from the chaos that followed AOL/Time Warner in 2000, Google would be the clear winner if Microsoft buys Yahoo for a proposed $44.6 billion. Microsoft's rivals in other parts of the tech business -- including IBM in business software and Apple in the desktop market -- also would likely get a boost if this deal goes through. The biggest risk: The sheer task of integrating Yahoo would suck up so much senior management time at Microsoft, that the company, which already has a dubious track record for getting products out the door on time and has lost several key leaders in recent weeks, could fall behind competitors for years to come. Google is taking aim at Microsoft's franchise Office productivity apps with a series of low-cost online offerings. Microsoft responded with its Windows Live online program. The problem: Windows Live is a confused mess that almost no one inside or outside of Microsoft really understands. Throw a major corporate integration effort into the mix and things get a lot messier. Similarly, Microsoft is still nurturing its Windows Vista operating system a year after launch. Numerous reports indicate that that the OS is getting a cool reception from both businesses and consumers, and that Microsoft has failed to solve a number of compatibility issues that have PC users looking for alternatives. Dell last year even took the unusual step of reintroducing Windows XP as an option on home systems. On the business side, Microsoft this month is set to formally introduce Windows Server 2008. A plan to simultaneously launch SQL Server 2008 was squashed amid more delays. SQL Server 2008 won't see the light of day until at least the fall. It's clear that Microsoft is at a point where it can ill afford to take its eye off its core products. Yet that's exactly what a merger with Yahoo would do. IBM, Google, and Apple, and even the Linux camp, must be loving this. The risks for Microsoft might be acceptable if there was a strong chance that the goal of its proposed buyout of Yahoo -- catching Google in the online search and ad markets -- would be realized. But that's doubtful. Read the rest of my blog and post a comment with your thoughts. Paul McDougall paulmcd@cmp.com www.informationweek.com
"The Web continues to surprise Microsoft. Hopefully, Yahoo will shake up the old Microsoft way of doing things." -- Ian Campbell
Microsoft's Ballmer Discusses Yahoo, Google, Integration Challenges CEO Steve Ballmer said Microsoft and Yahoo would work together to create a single online advertising platform. Related Stories: Text Of Microsoft Letter To Yahoo Blog: Why A Microsoft-Yahoo Merger Would Spell Disaster For Both Analysis: Microsoft, Yahoo Alliance Takes Aim At IM Competition EnterpriseDB To Offer Database As A Service Through Amazon Cloud Beta users are being signed up for a launch of the service in March. Missing iPhones May Be in Hong Kong Online retailer Wireless Imports says it has shipped units to Hong Kong to be redistributed elsewhere and unlocked by their owners. It estimates that there are 100,000 to 200,000 iPhones in Hong Kong alone. Google Launches Social Graph API By making social data more portable, Google is hoping to make social networks like Facebook and MySpace less relevant. Intel, Micron Claim To Boost Solid-State Drive Speeds By 500% The NAND flash memory chips can reach speeds of up to 200 MB per second for reading data and 100 MB per second for writing data, the partners said. GPS Comes To High-Tech Pizza-Delivery Tracking One Papa John's chain lets customers track their deliveries street by street. Domino's, meanwhile, is making its own tracking technology push. Microsoft-Yahoo Combo Could Accelerate Services Strategy However, integrating these services may cause major headaches as Microsoft tries to keep customers and keep executive focus on its other businesses. IBM Completes $5 Billion Buyout Of Cognos IBM will work to integrate its Websphere middleware stack, DB2 database, and Cognos' business intelligence products. Fans Go Online To Enhance Their Super Bowl Experience A ComScore survey finds the annual contest epitomizes the huge surge in online activities that are associated with NFL games. To CodeGear, From Russia With Love: A One Million Seat Order The deal is part of a $100 million government initiative, the National State Project of High-Grade Education, which will add computer programming to public education curricula. Microsoft Adds More Security APIs To Windows The goal is to help developers make use of Microsoft's Data Execution Prevention technology, which is designed to guard computer memory against malicious code. Super Bowl XLII Blanketed In EVDO, Wi-Fi Coverage Around 10,000 wireless devices, used by coaches, officials, fans, security personnel, and so on, to be operating on 2,000 radio frequencies on game day. Third Undersea Cable Cut, This Time Near Dubai A third undersea cable has been cut after breaks near Egypt earlier this week disrupted Web access in parts of the Middle East and Asia. All Our Latest News See InformationWeek's daily breaking news on your mobile device, visit wap.informationweek.com and sign up for daily SMS notifications.	Microsoft's Ballmer Discusses Yahoo, Google, Integration Challenges EnterpriseDB To Offer Database As A Service Through Amazon Cloud Missing iPhones May Be in Hong Kong Google Launches Social Graph API Intel, Micron Claim To Boost Solid-State Drive Speeds By 500% GPS Comes To High-Tech Pizza-Delivery Tracking Microsoft Acquiring Yahoo? Can Microsoft Make That Work? Microsoft late Thursday announced a $44.6 billion acquisition bid for beleaguered Yahoo. The deal comes at a time when Microsoft faces challenges in its core business: Windows Vista is sputtering, Longhorn Server is about to launch, and Google, OpenOffice, and other applications are challenging Office. Big technology acquisitions often fall on their face: Consider Compaq buying Digital Equipment, and Hewlett-Packard buying Compaq. Can Microsoft make the Yahoo acquisition work? Or has Redmond just signed its own death warrant? Join Us Monday And Tuesday For The Brand-New InformationWeek Live Join us Monday and Tuesday at 3 pm Eastern when we're launching a new series of events: InformationWeek Live, a realtime podcast featuring InformationWeek editors and top guests. You'll be able to listen in to a Q&A as it happens on the most important technology issues, discuss the conversation in text chat, and ask your own questions. Virtualization At The Desktop? Examine how more than 250 companies plan to adopt server virtualization technology in this recent InformationWeek Research report, Server Virtualization. The BI Explosion Examine the business intelligence strategies of 500 companies, including deployment drivers and challenges, spending plans, and vendor selection, in this recent InformationWeek Research report. Wireless Technologies Of The Future: RFID And Navigation? Yesterday I got the chance to attend an event in New York City, hosted by ABI Research. The firm put together a few panels on important trends in mobile and wireless, and I found RFID and navigation to be particularly interesting. The Burden Of Expectations Gartner's latest survey of CIOs and their priorities has good news and bad news, and they're both the same news: Expectations for IT as a business innovator are up. It reminds me of that old adage: Be careful what you wish for. Microsoft, Motorola Weigh Desperate Measures Two massive deals that have been talked about for some time got a bit closer to reality today, as Microsoft went public with its $44 billion bid for Yahoo and Motorola said it may spin off its handset division. If Microsoft And Yahoo Unite, What Will Become Of Windows Mobile? On the surface, Microsoft and Yahoo have divergent mobile businesses. Microsoft develops and licenses Windows Mobile and associated software to OEMs, which use it to create smartphones. Yahoo has Web services and content optimized for consumption on mobile phones. Is pairing Microsoft with Yahoo (MicroHoo, anyone?) the best way for both companies to create the best mobile platform and services available? Web 2.0 Security, Microsoft, And Yahoo People always seem to talk about how important application security is to them. But rarely do we --as consumers of technology -- have a chance to have a profound impact on the quality and security of software applications and services. But with Microsoft's pending acquisition of Yahoo, a new opportunity arises. State Of The (Green) Union, Part 1 In his final State of the Union speech Monday, President Bush outlined his goals for building a future of energy security. It's predicated on a move toward cleaner coal and building up our capacity to generate nuclear power. Here's what we're aiming at. Google Execs Made 20-Year Commitment To Each Other Ah, the heady pre-IPO heydays of summer 2004. In July of that year, co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, together with CEO Eric Schmidt, must have been feeling pretty bullish on Google's long-term future. The three agreed to work together for the next 20 years, to have and to hold, in sickness and health, good times and bad, for better or worse. Will this business marriage last? Microsoft Can Buy Yahoo, But They Can't Afford Yahoo Microsoft has decided that it's time to get serious about this Internet stuff, so their bold move is to -- buy Yahoo? I don't get it. If I were a Yahoo stockholder I might play hard to get for a while, but nearly all of them will want this deal to happen because it's probably the most profitable end for them. For Microsoft, not so much. Ericsson Said It Will Consider Purchasing Motorola Assets Ericsson CEO Carl-Henric Svanberg said that the company would seriously think about scooping up Motorola's handset division if indeed Motorola puts it up for sale. He noted, though, that Ericsson would be "very cautious" about approaching any deal. Why Microsoft's Yahoo Bid Helps Google, IBM, And Apple A combined Microsoft and Yahoo would be a company truly capable of challenging Google in search and online advertising. At least that's what Microsoft believes. Not so fast. To Sink Or Swim In Linux's Waters? I've been running Ubuntu Linux on my notebook, a Sony VAIO TX model, for some time now.  I'm impressed with how stable it's been and how a whole raft of features like action-key support (for things like dimming the display) are available directly out of the box, without having to install additional stuff that I needed to download from Sony's site.  But because getting used to Linux itself can be jarring for Windows folks, I decided not to just dive in and hope I'm able to swim.  Instead, I'm using a gradual approach: I take it to bed with me. Real-World SOA: Definition, Implementation and Use of SOA with CentraSite Web services are having a dramatic impact on improving enterprise architecture and application development practices. This paper highlights three sample case studies illustrating how Fujitsu's CentraSite delivers SOA solutions. Forrester Consulting: Unified Communications Delivers Global Benefits This Forrester Consulting study shows how Unified Communications (UC) makes it simpler to contact others over any device in any location, enhancing business agility, cutting costs, and boosting employee productivity. Forrester finds that UC is already delivering major savings for organizations around the world in retail banking, manufacturing and education. Download the full report for free. Software as a Service Research Report No longer a niche software delivery model, software as a service (SaaS) can help small and midsize companies get access to enteprise-class software functionality without having to commit enterprise-level capital resources. Download the full report for free. The Internet & the Developing World The evolution of the Internet has been full of surprises – surprises that have sometimes resulted in radical changes in the commercial landscape, such as the arrival of Amazon, eBay, Google, YouTube, and Skype. Could one of the next big surprises turn out to be linked to developing countries? Read the full report for free from InternetEvolution.com Featured Jobs: Mentor Graphics seeking Technical Marketing Engineer - DFM in San Jose, CA Verizon seeking Fiber Network Technician in Freehold, NJ Miami-Dade County seeking PeopleSoft Systems Administrator in Miami, FL Allen Partners seeking Program Manager in Seattle, WA Fulcrum Microsystems seeking Networking Software Engineer in Calabasas, CA For more great jobs, career-related news, features and services, please visit our "Career Center. Try InformationWeek's RSS Feed Discover all InformationWeek's sites and newsletters Recommend This Newsletter To A Friend Do you have friends or colleagues who might enjoy this newsletter? Please forward it to them and point out the subscription page. More than 20,000 IT terms, more than 20,000 definitions: All at your fingertips, all in TechEncyclopedia Saw a TechWeb feature you want to see again? You are subscribed as #emailaddr#. 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