WinInsider

During his Consumer Electronics Show (CES) keynote address Wednesday evening, Microsoft chairman and Chief Software Architect outlined the digital entertainment successes his company has logged since the October "Digital Entertainment Anywhere" launch event and highlighted some interesting initiatives that will drive momentum throughout 2005. Key among these initiatives are a number of partnerships, some of which are quite surprising.

Microsoft on Wednesday launched an enhanced version of its financial software for small and medium-sized businesses.

Microsoft Business Solutions Small Business Financials North America Edition is a re-branded and enhanced version of the Microsoft Business Solutions Small Business Manager, officials with the Redmond, Wash., software maker said.

The accounting and business management software targets U.S. and Canadian businesses with 10 to 49 employees. The new version includes more capabilities for customizing reports, streamlining order processing and inventory management, and automating data backups.

Microsoft and South Korean telecommunications operator KT are considering plans to establish a joint research and business development center in South Korea, the two companies said Wednesday.

The proposed center would be charged with the mission of developing new business models and new technologies that are related to KT's core businesses, which include wireless and broadband services, Microsoft said in a statement. In addition, the two companies will consider setting up a joint fund that would allow the center to access third-party content and technologies, it said.

Microsoft has encountered a significant setback in its lawsuit claiming that a Utah company distributed pirated versions of Windows software. A federal appeals court last week tossed out an earlier ruling in Microsoft's favor, saying that more hearings were necessary before MBC Enterprises, a family-owned company in Salt Lake City, could be found liable for copyright infringement.

Microsoft alleges that MBC bought bootleg versions of Windows and Office software from a Texas company called Bantech and resold it. A district court had granted Microsoft's request for summary judgment, noting that an FBI search of Bantech's offices turned up counterfeit products, including 300 units of Windows software that were packaged and labeled for FedEx shipment to MBC's address.

The biggest and most important US-based technology trade show comes rolling into Las Vegas, Nevada, on Wednesday, attracting hundreds of thousands of attendees from the computer and consumer electronics markets. As with the past few shows, the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2005 promises to usher in the technologies we'll be using throughout the year, especially home- and consumer-based technologies such as digital media, High-Definition Television (HDTV) and home theater, home networking, smart phones, video games, and wireless.

Microsoft will roll out the first beta of its anti-spyware software Thursday, Jan. 6, according to a leaked internal memo published by the Neowin Web site.

Last month, Microsoft acquired New York-based Giant Company Software and its anti-spyware technology, and immediately said it would push out a beta of its first spyware defense in January.

According to Neowin, the beta, internally dubbed "Atlanta" has been distributed within Microsoft, and will be released as either a public beta or a private, external beta Thursday. In an internal memo, Microsoft called Atlanta "new, fresh, and all good," reported Neowin.

Microsoft has pulled the plug on a version of Windows XP for Intel's Itanium 2 processor. The move marks the end for Itanium 2 in Windows-based workstations and comes after major hardware vendors abandoned the 64-bit chip for use in workstations.

Going forward, Microsoft will focus on processors with 64-bit extensions for use in workstations, instead of Itanium, a company spokeswoman said in a statement Tuesday. Final versions of Windows for 32-bit processors with 64-bit extensions are due in the first half of this year, after several delays.

Some folks seem to think Microsoft was humbled by its legal and technology challenges in 2004. But I disagree. I don't see a kinder or gentler Microsoft emerging in 2005. More transparent, maybe. Down for the count? Heck, no!

After watching the Softies for two decades, I can tell you they are hardly ready to roll over. There's still a lot of plotting and scheming happening in Redmond's hallowed halls. And that will make the coming year anything but predictable.

Who is going to want to buy a product known as "Windows XP Reduced Media Edition" that will cost the same as the full Windows XP release but not include as much functionality? This thing's going to make Windows Millennium Edition look like a runaway best seller.

Microsoft officials have said little about the company's intentions in the grid-computing space. But that doesn't mean Microsoft is ignoring the evolving grid/distributed-computing space.

Microsoft is working on a skunk-works project that is code-named Bigtop, which is designed to allow developers to create a set of loosely coupled, distributed operating-systems components in a relatively rapid way, according to sources close to the company, who requested anonymity.

Remember that software colossus called Microsoft? It was known as the 800-pound gorilla of the PC industry, a recalcitrant monopolist that could send competitors careening out of business simply by announcing that it was entering a particular market. Well, that Microsoft is dead. And its death has little to do with the company changing its ways to become a better corporate citizen and partner. Instead, Microsoft has grown lazy, complacent, and fat--arguably another IBM, a company Microsoft never intended to emulate. And rather than exit markets when Microsoft jumps in, the company's competitors are now watching Microsoft to see where it's heading, then jumping in with both feet. More often than not, Microsoft's tiny competitors get to market first and reap the rewards.