MS launches real-time comms package
By John Leyden
Published Wednesday 9th March 2005 13:52 GMT
Microsoft Tuesday unveiled a major push into communications software
that allows office workers to stay in closer touch with integrated
web conferencing, internet telephony and instant messaging tools. The
software giant announced an updated version of Microsoft's Live
Meeting web conferencing and collaboration service; Microsoft Office
Live Communications Server 2005 for corporate instant messaging; and
Office Communicator 2005, an integrated communications client
formerly code-named "Istanbul".
Bill Gates described the software as an "evolution of Office" that
will "break down silos of information", allowing workers to
communicate more efficiently. He added the software would help ensure
workers are "not overwhelmed with stuff they don't care about".
I'll send an SMS to the world
Office Communicator 2005, due to be release Q2 2005, is positioned as
a multi-media successor to Windows Messenger, and the preferred
client of Live Communications Server (LCS) 2005. A service pack to
LCS 2005 provides hooks that allow users to send messages to users on
MSN, AOL and Yahoo! public IM network. Other features include
improved logging capabilities and features to block nuisance SPIM
(spam on IM) messages.
Microsoft plans to build presence awareness into all its software
applications, so workers can view the availability of a person and
whether they are in or out of the office before initiating
communication. Users can then choose the most appropriate mode to
begin communication by either email, phone, IM, SMS,
videoconferencing and web conferencing.
Redmond is partnering with telcos such as BT and communication
vendors such as Siemens and Alcatel to develop services based on its
technology which it hopes will allow it to tap into the emerging web
conferencing and internet telephony markets.
Geo-synchronous
Microsoft execs demonstrated Communicator and LCS 2005 during a web
conference hosted in San Francisco and including participants from
Los Angeles and Chicago. Gurdeep Singh Pall, a VP in Microsoft's Real
Time Collaboration Group, who flew over to London to participate in
what was supposed to be an international conference was sidelined
during the demo.
The demo showed how users were given a caller's identity and job
title (pulled from a corporate directory) when they received a call.
PC to telephony integration software allows use to click on a mouse
to answer calls or set up rules to forward messages to a mobile
phone. The software allows users to take a phone conversation and
turn it into a videoconference or web conference with multiple
participants.
The software worked smoothly enough but Microsoft execs were clearly
unfamiliar with dealing with the delay introduced by satellite
circuits and ended up talking over each other, rather like a Robert
Altman movie but without the witty banter. Echo-cancellation software
might have helped. The demo was running late and ended abruptly when
the satellite connection timed out and was lost but not before Troy,
'star' of US reality TV show The Apprentice, had managed to pepper
the dialogue with a series of bizarre interjections. MS execs didn't
know what to make of the talented celebrity's comments that he was
"happy as a frog on a hot plate" or that something else was "sweating
like a stuffed pig", and nor do we. ®
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