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Wednesday, June 27, 2007

Sun Donates High Availability Cluster Code to the Open Source Community, Enables Accelerated Innovation In Scale Out Architectures

Sun Microsystems, Inc., (NASDAQ: SUNW), announced it will release the Solaris Cluster source code through the HA (High Availability) Clusters community on the OpenSolaris community. For the first time, developers will be able to participate in the evolution of the software itself, as well as leverage the open source cluster technology to develop and support highly available application services.


"Sun is releasing this code to the community to accelerate innovation around clustered solutions, in a world moving quickly to scale-out architectures. When applied to Solaris or other technologies, the Solaris clustering code is a great base to support clustered and HA systems innovation throughout the community," said Rich Green, executive vice president, Software, Sun Microsystems, Inc. "The Open HA Cluster code allows open source developers to use the same Solaris HA infrastructure that powers enterprises' most mission critical applications with their open source and network facing applications and services."

Sun's first contributions are application modules, or agents, which enable open source or commercially available applications to become highly available in a cluster environment.

The Open HA Cluster code will be made available in three phases, beginning at the end of June and continuing over the next 18 months. In the first phase of Open HA Cluster, Sun will deliver code for most of the high availability agents offered with the Solaris Cluster product. Solaris Cluster's high availability agents allow developers to cluster-enable applications to run as either scalable or failover services. Sun is also making available the source code for the Solaris Cluster Automated Test Environment (SCATE) along with agent related documentation, to assist in testing new agents. The test framework and first test suite will be contributed at the end of June 2007. Among these agents are the Solaris Containers agent, the BEA Weblogic agent, and PostgreSQL.

Agents written using Open HA Cluster will also run on Solaris Cluster version 3.2 on the Solaris 10 OS. Subsequent phases of Open HA Cluster will include delivery of the code for the recently released Solaris Cluster Geographic Edition - software that enables multi-site disaster recovery by managing the availability of application services and data across geographically dispersed clusters. Later, Sun will release the code for the core Solaris Cluster infrastructure, again with SCATE infrastructure tests and documentation.

To learn more about Open High Availability Cluster and the HA Clusters community on OpenSolaris, and to review a complete list of the high availability agents offered with the Solaris Cluster product, please visit: http://www.opensolaris.org/os/community/ha-clusters/

In the two years since Sun first opened the source code of the Solaris software development build, the OpenSolaris project community has grown worldwide. More about the achievements of the OpenSolaris community can be found at http://blogs.sun.com/jimgris/entry/opensolaris_at_two

Sun offers a tiered set of support services for its software offerings, ranging from single incident to comprehensive developer plans. In addition, with a broad portfolio of training and certification offerings, developers can enhance their skillsets to take advantage of cutting-edge technologies. To learn more, please visit http://developers.sun.com/services

Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Apple and AT&T Announce iTunes Activation and Sync for iPhone

iPhoneApple® and AT&T Inc. today announced that iPhone™ users will be able to activate their new iPhones using Apple’s popular iTunes® software running on a PC or Mac® computer in the comfort and privacy of their own home or office, without having to wait in a store while their phone is activated. Activating iPhone takes only minutes as iTunes guides the user through simple steps to choose their service plan, authorize their credit and activate their iPhone. Once iPhone is activated, users can then easily sync all of their phone numbers and other contact information, calendars, email accounts, web browser bookmarks, music, photos, podcasts, TV shows and movies just like they do when they sync their iPods with iTunes.

“Users will be able to activate their new iPhone in the comfort and privacy of their own home or office, without having to wait in a store while their phone is activated,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “There are tens of millions of people in the US who already know how to sync their iPods with iTunes, and syncing their new iPhone with iTunes works the same way.”

“iPhone’s user-driven activation is another example of how AT&T and Apple have partnered to bring innovative new features to our customers,” said Randall Stephenson, chairman and CEO, AT&T. “iPhone’s innovative activation and sync is just one example of how this is going to be a real industry game-changer.”

iPhone introduces an entirely new user interface based on a revolutionary multi-touch display and pioneering new software that allows users to control iPhone with just a tap, flick or pinch of their fingers. iPhone combines three products into one small and lightweight handheld device—a revolutionary mobile phone, a widescreen iPod, and the Internet in your pocket with best-ever applications on a mobile phone for email, web browsing and maps. iPhone ushers in an era of software power and sophistication never before seen in a mobile device, which completely redefines what users can do on their mobile phones.

Pricing & Availability
iPhone goes on sale at 6:00 p.m. (local time) on Friday, June 29 and will be sold in the US through Apple’s retail and online stores and AT&T retail stores. iPhone will be available in a 4GB model for $499 (US) and an 8GB model for $599 (US), and will work with either a PC or Mac.

System Requirements
iPhone activation requires an Internet connection; an iTunes Store account or a major credit card; a valid Social Security number (as required by AT&T); the latest version of iTunes available at www.itunes.com and a PC or Mac with a USB 2.0 port and one of the following operating systems: Mac OS® X v10.4.10 or later; Windows XP Home or Professional with Service Pack 2 or later; or Windows Vista Home Premium, Business, Enterprise or Ultimate Edition. iPhone requires a new two-year AT&T service plan. Customers with existing AT&T accounts will have the option of keeping their existing phone number and upgrading their account to work with iPhone.

AT&T and Apple Announce Simple, Affordable Service Plans for iPhone

iPhoneAT&T Inc. and Apple® today announced three simple, affordable service plans for iPhone™ which start at just $59.99 per month. All three plans include unlimited data, Visual Voicemail, 200 SMS text messages, roll-over minutes and unlimited mobile-to-mobile calling. With everything else already included, iPhone customers can easily choose the plan that’s right for them based on the amount of voice minutes they plan to use each month. In addition, iPhone customers can choose from any of AT&T’s standard service plans.

“AT&T has the largest voice and data network in America, the largest mobile-to-mobile calling community and the fewest dropped calls,” said Randall Stephenson, chairman and CEO, AT&T. “AT&T has invested more than 16 billion dollars in its wireless network between 2005 and 2007, and iPhone customers will enjoy the best voice and data network in the nation.”

“We want to make choosing a service plan simple and easy, so every plan includes unlimited data with direct Internet access, along with Visual Voicemail and a host of other goodies,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “We think these three plans give customers the flexibility to experience all of iPhone’s revolutionary features at affordable and competitive prices.”

All iPhone plans include Visual Voicemail, an industry first, which allows consumers to see a listing of their voicemails, decide which messages to listen to, then go directly to those messages without listening to previous messages. Just like email, Visual Voicemail on iPhone enables users to immediately and randomly access the messages that interest them most. Unlike most wireless plans that charge additional fees for new features, there are no additional fees for Visual Voicemail.

iPhone introduces an entirely new user interface based on a revolutionary multi-touch display and pioneering new software that allows users to control iPhone with just a tap, flick or pinch of their fingers. iPhone combines three products into one small and lightweight handheld device—a revolutionary mobile phone, a widescreen iPod®, and the Internet in your pocket with best-ever applications on a mobile phone for email, web browsing and maps. iPhone ushers in an era of software power and sophistication never before seen in a mobile device, which completely redefines what users can do on their mobile phones.

Pricing & Availability
iPhone goes on sale at 6:00 p.m. (local time) on Friday, June 29 and will be sold in the US through Apple’s retail and online stores and AT&T retail stores. iPhone will be available in a 4GB model for $499 (US) and an 8GB model for $599 (US), and will work with either a PC or Mac®. All iPhone monthly service plans are available for individuals and families and are based on a new two-year service agreement with AT&T. Individual plans are priced at $59.99 for 450 minutes, $79.99 for 900 minutes and $99.99 for 1,350 minutes. All plans include unlimited data (email and web), Visual Voicemail, 200 SMS text messages, roll over minutes and unlimited mobile-to-mobile and a one-time activation fee of $36. Family plans are also available.





About AT&T
AT&T Inc. is a premier communications holding company. Its subsidiaries and affiliates, AT&T operating companies, are the providers of AT&T services in the United States and around the world. Among their offerings are the world's most advanced IP-based business communications services and the nation's leading wireless, high speed Internet access and voice services. In domestic markets, AT&T is known for the directory publishing and advertising sales leadership of its Yellow Pages and YELLOWPAGES.COM organizations, and the AT&T brand is licensed to innovators in such fields as communications equipment. As part of its three-screen integration strategy, AT&T is expanding its TV entertainment offerings. Additional information about AT&T Inc. and the products and services provided by AT&T subsidiaries and affiliates is available at http://www.att.com

About Apple
Apple ignited the personal computer revolution in the 1970s with the Apple II and reinvented the personal computer in the 1980s with the Macintosh. Today, Apple continues to lead the industry in innovation with its award-winning computers, OS X operating system and iLife and professional applications. Apple is also spearheading the digital media revolution with its iPod portable music and video players and iTunes online store, and will enter the mobile phone market this year with its revolutionary iPhone.

Monday, June 18, 2007

Yahoo! Co-Founder Jerry Yang Named Chief Executive Officer

Yahoo! Inc. (Nasdaq: YHOO), a leading global Internet company, today announced that the Board of Directors has appointed Jerry Yang, Yahoo! co-founder and long-time board member, as Chief Executive Officer. Terry Semel, current Yahoo! Chairman and CEO, will assume the position of non-executive Chairman and serve as an advisor and important resource for the company's senior management team, while also working closely with the Board. The Board also named Susan Decker, formerly Executive Vice President and Head of Advertiser and Publisher Group, as President of the company.

Terry Semel said, "The Board and I have long talked about the importance of ensuring a smooth succession in Yahoo!'s senior leadership – and more recently, about the need for a leadership team committed to carrying Yahoo! through its multi-year transformation. As we discussed my future goals and plans, I was clear in telling the Board of my desire to take a step back sooner rather than later. I believe Jerry and Sue, with their superb talents and intense dedication to Yahoo! and its people, are the perfect combination to carry us forward. This is the time for new executive leadership, with different skills and strengths, to step in and drive the company to realize its full potential – it is the right thing to do, and the right time is now."

Semel continued, "Jerry and Sue will make an unbeatable team. Jerry has long been recognized as an Internet visionary. His incredible experience and close involvement since founding the company 12 years ago have given him tremendous strategic, technical and industry insight as well as unparalleled knowledge and understanding of Yahoo! and its great potential. We are equally fortunate to have Sue Decker, one of the most talented executives in the industry, as our new President. Sue has played a broad and important role in driving our strategy over the years, and has shown even greater skills and leadership with the success she's had in taking on more operating responsibilities. Both Jerry and Sue have been great partners to me and I am looking forward to collaborating with and supporting them both, as well as the Board, in any way that I can as Chairman. I'm proud of all that we've accomplished over the past six years during this exciting, still early stage of the Internet's development, and my single goal is to ensure that Yahoo! achieves its full potential."

Director Ed Kozel, speaking on behalf of the Board, said, "The entire Board appreciates the vital role Terry has played in making Yahoo! the Internet leader it is today. After joining the company in 2001, Terry helped refocus Yahoo! on key strategic priorities and execute clear plans for growth, while building and acquiring world-class products and properties. Under his leadership, we have delivered great value to Yahoo!'s users, advertisers and shareholders – increasing our revenues nearly nine-fold since 2001 to $6.4 billion for 2006, boosting our operating income from a loss in 2001 to nearly $1 billion last year, and creating more than $30 billion in shareholder value during his tenure. We've also built our industry-leading audience from 170 million users in 2001 to more than 500 million this year, and significantly expanded our strong and talented employee base from 3,500 to 12,000. All of us on the Board and throughout the company thank Terry for his many contributions over the years and for his willingness to stay on to assist Jerry, Sue and the Board as we drive Yahoo! forward."

Kozel continued, "We believe there is no better person in the world to run Yahoo! now than our visionary co-founder Jerry Yang, who has helped build and run this company over the past 12 years. Jerry provides phenomenal strategic, technical, product and market leadership, has developed important relationships with major business partners, and has defined and nurtured Yahoo!'s unique, winning culture. As the public face of Yahoo!, Jerry has been instrumental in attracting world-class talent to the company at all levels. In our new President Sue Decker, Jerry has the perfect partner. Sue was an outstanding CFO, has played a key strategic role as part of our senior management team, and in her growing operational role, has had enormous success as well. We are confident we have the right team in place to realize the enormous opportunities ahead."

Jerry Yang said, "I'm delighted to assume this leadership role at the company David Filo and I started 12 years ago. I want to thank Terry for his many contributions to Yahoo! and for giving the company six of its best years. He has been not only a strong leader, but a consummate partner. And, Sue and I look forward to working with him to build on our firm foundation for future success and improved financial performance. Sue has been an integral part of the management team and knows the company incredibly well. She has demonstrated her ability to build successful teams, drive critical partnerships, and lead some of our most important business initiatives. And she has proved herself to be adept in an increasingly broad range of complex operational responsibilities.

"I am very excited to be leading our exceptional team of 12,000 Yahoo!'s around the world," Yang continued. "It's an honor and a great responsibility, and I look forward to the challenge. My immediate and overarching priorities are to realize Yahoo!'s strategic vision by accelerating execution, further strengthening our leadership team and fostering an even stronger culture of winning."

Sue Decker said, "It is an incredibly important time for Yahoo! and I am thrilled to be partnering with Jerry to execute on our strategic vision. We have a terrific opportunity to build upon the benefits that we are already realizing from the recent reorganization around our core customers: hundreds of millions of users, hundreds of thousands of advertisers, and tens of thousands of publishers all over the world. It has been a great privilege to work with and learn from Terry and his leadership team over the past six years and that foundation will serve us well as we focus on the great opportunities and challenges ahead."

As part of this management change, Sue will assume leadership of Yahoo!'s business operations, which include the Advertiser and Publisher Group along with the Yahoo! Network, Connected Life, and our International operations. The Technology Group as well as all Corporate Functions will report to Jerry. David Filo will continue to play an important role in our management team by overseeing the company's strong technology organization as Yahoo! searches for a new Chief Technology Officer.

Because Mr. Semel resigned as CEO and will continue on as non-executive Chairman, the Company said there will be no separation agreement with him.


Analyst Conference Call

Yahoo! will host an analyst conference call to discuss the management changes at 4:45 p.m. Eastern Time today. A live webcast of the conference call can be accessed through the Company's Investor Relations website at http://yhoo.client.shareholder.com/index.cfm. In addition, an archive of the webcast can be accessed through the same link. An audio replay of the call will be available following the conference call by dialing (888) 286-8010 (Primary) or (617) 801-6888 (International), reservation number: 14345291.

About Jerry Yang

Jerry Yang co-created the Yahoo! Internet navigational guide in April 1994 with David Filo and co-founded Yahoo! Inc. in April 1995. He was appointed Chief Executive Officer of the company in June 2007. Mr. Yang, a leading force in the Internet media industry, has been instrumental in building Yahoo! into the world's most highly trafficked Web site and one of the world's most recognized brands. Since the company's founding, Mr. Yang has been a key member of the executive management team. His focus at Yahoo! over the years has included corporate strategy, Yahoo!'s technology vision, strategic business partnerships and international joint ventures, and recruiting key talent. In addition to serving on the Yahoo! Board of Directors, Mr. Yang also currently serves on the boards of Cisco Systems, Yahoo! Japan, and Alibaba, and is a member of the Stanford University Board of Trustees. Mr. Yang holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in electrical engineering from Stanford University and is currently on a leave of absence from Stanford's electrical engineering Ph.D. program.

About Susan Decker

Sue Decker, most recently head of Yahoo!'s Advertiser and Publisher Group and previously Chief Financial Officer, was instrumental in developing the Company's recent reorganization plan and strategy. She also played a leading role in two of the Company's key strategic initiatives announced in 2006, the formation of a strategic partnership with eBay making Yahoo! the exclusive provider of graphical advertising and complementary search advertising on eBay's U.S. website; and the formation of a strategic partnership with a consortium of more than 150 daily U.S. newspapers to deliver search, display and classified advertising to consumers in the communities where they live and work. Prior to joining Yahoo! in June 2000, Ms. Decker was with Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette for 14 years - most recently as the global director of equity research. She currently serves on the board of directors for Berkshire Hathaway, Intel Corporation and Costco Wholesale. Ms. Decker holds a bachelor of science degree from Tufts University and a master of business administration degree from Harvard Business School.

iPhone Delivers Up to Eight Hours of Talk Time

iPhoneApple® today announced that iPhone™ will deliver significantly longer battery life when it ships on June 29 than was originally estimated when iPhone was unveiled in January. iPhone will feature up to 8 hours of talk time, 6 hours of Internet use, 7 hours of video playback or 24 hours of audio playback.* In addition, iPhone will feature up to 250 hours—more than 10 days—of standby time. Apple also announced that the entire top surface of iPhone, including its stunning 3.5-inch display, has been upgraded from plastic to optical-quality glass to achieve a superior level of scratch resistance and optical clarity.

“With 8 hours of talk time, and 24 hours of audio playback, iPhone’s battery life is longer than any other ‘Smartphone’ and even longer than most MP3 players,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “We’ve also upgraded iPhone’s entire top surface from plastic to optical-quality glass for superior scratch resistance and clarity. There has never been a phone like iPhone, and we can't wait to get this truly magical product into the hands of customers starting just 11 days from today.”

iPhone introduces an entirely new user interface based on a revolutionary multi-touch display and pioneering new software that allows users to control iPhone with just a tap, flick or pinch of their fingers. iPhone combines three products into one small and lightweight handheld device—a revolutionary mobile phone, a widescreen iPod, and the Internet in your pocket with best-ever applications on a mobile phone for email, web browsing and maps. iPhone ushers in an era of software power and sophistication never before seen in a mobile device, which completely redefines what users can do on their mobile phones.

Pricing and Availability
iPhone will be available in the US on June 29, 2007 in a 4GB model for $499 (US) and an 8GB model for $599 (US), and will work with either a PC or Mac®. iPhone will be sold in the US through Apple’s retail and online stores, and through AT&T’s select retail stores.

*All Battery claims are dependent upon network configuration and many other factors; actual results may vary. See www.apple.com/batteries for more information. Music capacity is based on four minutes per song and 128-Kbps AAC encoding; actual capacity varies by content.

IBM and Red Hat Achieve Highest Security Certification for Linux on IBM Servers

IBM (NYSE: IBM) and Red Hat (NYSE: RHT), the world's leading provider of open source solutions, today announced a new security certification for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 that is expected to further drive the adoption of Linux among businesses and governments worldwide. With the certification, no mainstream operating system in the world offers a higher level of security certification.

Today's announcement confirms that Red Hat Enterprise Linux on IBM servers now meets government security standards allowing Linux to be used in homeland security projects, command-and-control operations, and throughout government agencies that previously were limited to a select few other operating systems. This latest certification ensures that Red Hat Enterprise Linux running on IBM servers is now second to none in security among mainstream operating systems.

Red Hat Enterprise Linux on IBM systems, supporting applications such as those developed by Trusted Computer Solutions, Inc., a leading supplier of cross domain solutions for industry and government, has been approved by the National Information Assurance Partnership for Common Criteria Evaluation & Validation Scheme at Evaluation Assurance Level 4 (EAL4+) for Labeled Security Protection Profile (LSPP), Controlled Access Protection Profile (CAPP), and Role-Based Access Control Protection Profile (RBAC).

This marks the first Common Criteria certification for a Linux distribution at this globally recognized advanced level of security and assurance, which means Red Hat Enterprise Linux on IBM systems now meets government security standards for assured information sharing within and across government agencies. Red Hat Enterprise Linux is now positioned to provide best-of-breed security capabilities for commercial operating systems, offering government agencies and businesses alike an unprecedented choice for secure applications.

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5, which was released for general availability earlier this year, contains kernel and Security Enhanced Linux (SELinux) policy features developed through a significant open community effort with IBM, and the participation from other key contributors, including Red Hat, Trusted Computer Solutions, and federal government representatives.

"NSA is pleased that the work of its research organization in the area of secure computing is being used as the foundation for secure solutions in the open community," said Richard Mathews, Chief of NSA's National Information Assurance Research Laboratory. "We are committed to focusing on new technology research and promoting transfer of those technologies to the private sector to improve assurance of NIAP certified commercial products."

The Common Criteria is an internationally recognized set of standards used by the federal government and other organizations to assess the security and assurance of technology products. Under Common Criteria, products are evaluated against strict standards for various features, such as the development environment, security functionality, the handling of security vulnerabilities, security related documentation and product testing.

Wide Range of Choice for Linux Solutions

IBM and Red Hat have collaborated to ensure certification of RHEL 5 on multiple platforms to maximize choice and value for customers. RHEL 5 is certified on several IBM server brands, including System x, System p, System z, and BladeCenter. IBM's server product line offers customers industry-leading performance together with application flexibility, solution choice, and outstanding scalability, reliability and security.

"Today's announcement marks another significant milestone in the evolution of Linux, which is already established as a true enterprise-class system that routinely handles mission-critical applications," said Dave McQueeney, IBM Vice President, U.S. Federal. "In our federal government environment, we have the additional requirement for certifications to confirm the integrity of software for the most sensitive applications. We all recognize that Linux is a rock-solid system, with a vibrant and innovative development community, eclipsing many other offerings in common use across federal. Now, by achieving EAL4+ with multilevel security capability, we have further confirmation of the robustness and trustworthiness of Linux, and we expect its impact across federal to accelerate rapidly."

"Systems security is top of mind for enterprise customers, and especially in the government sector," said Paul Cormier Executive Vice President of Engineering at Red Hat. "Red Hat, IBM and TCS have partnered for years to ensure that Red Hat Enterprise Linux is a leading distribution that customers can trust with their most critical and private data."

About IBM

For more information on IBM and Linux, please visit www.ibm.com/linux

About Red Hat, Inc.

Red Hat, the world's leading open source solutions provider, is headquartered in Raleigh, NC with over 50 satellite offices spanning the globe. CIOs have ranked Red Hat first for value in Enterprise Software for three consecutive years in the CIO Insight Magazine Vendor Value study. Red Hat provides high-quality, low-cost technology with its operating system platform, Red Hat Enterprise Linux, together with applications, management and Services Oriented Architecture (SOA) solutions, including the JBoss Enterprise Middleware Suite. Red Hat also offers support, training and consulting services to its customers worldwide. Learn more: http://www.redhat.com

Friday, June 15, 2007

Safari for Windows Public Beta Downloads Top 1 Million in First 48 Hours

Apple® today announced that more than 1 million copies of Safari™ for Windows were downloaded in the first 48 hours since the free public beta was made available on Monday. Safari 3 is the world’s fastest and easiest-to-use browser, and is available as a free download at www.apple.com/safari

Safari 3 is the fastest browser running on Windows, rendering web pages up to twice as fast as IE 7 and up to 1.6 times faster than Firefox 2, based on the industry standard iBench tests.* Safari 3 supports all modern Internet standards including HTML, CSS, JavaScript, SVG and Java. Safari updates are delivered seamlessly through Apple’s Software Update, and the first update for Safari for Windows Public Beta which fixes some early reported bugs was released last night.

Safari 3 for Windows requires Windows XP or Windows Vista, a minimum of 256 MB of memory and a system with at least a 500 MHz Intel Pentium processor.

*Performance will vary based on system configuration, network connection and other factors. Testing conducted on an iMac 2.16 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo system running Windows XP, with 1GB of RAM.

Wednesday, June 13, 2007

Groundbreaking Halo 3 Multiplayer Beta Concludes; Official Countdown for Launch of Game Begins

The countdown has begun for the biggest entertainment event of 2007 with the close of Bungie Studios’ massively successful “Halo® 3” multiplayer beta. A first for the acclaimed “Halo” franchise, the limited public beta was an overwhelming success, seeing more than 820,000 unique participants and more than 12 million hours of online gameplay in its short test period, equivalent to more than 1,400 years of continuous play by one person.

Now that the beta has closed, consumers worldwide can gear up for the game’s release with a variety of new merchandise, including two new Xbox 360™ Limited Edition “Halo 3” Wireless Controllers designed by Spawn and McFarlane Toys creator Todd McFarlane, as well as an Xbox 360 Limited Edition “Halo 3” Wireless Headset, which lets gamers talk with friends over Xbox LIVE®. The controllers and headset will be available starting in early September and can be preordered at select retailers today, allowing “Halo” fans everywhere to prepare for the launch of this year’s biggest game.

“The participation in the ‘Halo 3’ beta was staggering,” said Shane Kim, corporate vice president of Microsoft Game Studios. “Witnessing such a great reaction to a small portion of the game has been inspiring. It’s a testament to the fervor and anticipation that surrounds ‘Halo 3.’ We’re confident that on Sept. 25 Halo 3 will drive an unprecedented wave of new gamers to the Xbox 360 platform and Xbox LIVE.”

The “Halo 3” beta, an early look at parts of the multiplayer gameplay of “Halo 3,” debuted to Xbox 360 owners worldwide via Xbox LIVE on May 16. The more than 820,000 users who played the beta resulted in more than 350 terabytes of data downloaded from Xbox LIVE, equivalent to more than 82 million digital music downloads from the Internet.* Also telling was the players’ response to an exciting new saved-film feature, which provided them with the unprecedented ability to record their games and share them over Xbox LIVE with friends for the first time on Xbox 360. The feature, which was unveiled in the beta, saw more than 580,000 saved films created by users, representing more than 2.7 terabytes of data. Because of the tremendous participation in the beta, Bungie now has an exhaustive amount of data that will be used to improve the overall game experience.

Fans looking to immerse themselves in the “Halo” universe before the game’s epic launch this September will be able to dive into “Halo” through a variety of new merchandise and accessories:


• Xbox 360 Limited Edition “Halo 3” Wireless Controllers. Two new Xbox 360 Limited Edition Halo 3 Wireless Controllers will be available starting Sept. 18 and can be preordered today at select retailers. Designed with original artwork by legendary Spawn artist Todd McFarlane, they will be available in either the Covenant Brute or Master Chief themes. Each controller will be packaged with a limited edition “Halo 3” collectible figurine created by McFarlane Toys will sell for an estimated retail price $59.99 (U.S.).

• Xbox 360 Limited Edition “Halo 3” Wireless Headset. For the “Halo 3” enthusiast who enjoys wireless mobility while playing with friends on Xbox LIVE, the Xbox 360 Limited Edition Halo 3 Wireless Headset will sport the Spartan green and gold and provide high-quality voice connections over Xbox LIVE for an estimated retail price of $59.99 (U.S.). Available in early September, this accessory can be preordered today at select retailers.

• “Halo: Contact Harvest.” “Halo” fans can look forward to the latest book in the “Halo” saga, “Halo: Contact Harvest,” published by Tor Books and due Oct. 2, 2007. Written by Joseph Staten, the Bungie Studios cinematic and writing lead for the first two “Halo” games, the newest piece of fiction precedes the current New York Times’ best-selling book series, telling the tale of the first encounters between UNSC forces and the alien Covenant race that threatens to destroy all humanity. The trade paperback will cost $12.95 (U.S.).

• Marvel Comic miniseries. Bungie Studios has teamed up with Marvel Comics to release the monthly miniseries “Halo: Uprising.” The four-issue miniseries, featuring original storylines and artwork from the Eisner Award-winning team of superscribe Brian Michael Bendis and artist extraordinaire Alex Maleev, will launch with issue one on July 25, 2007 and cost $3.99 (U.S.) per issue.

• Zune™-Halo 3 edition. Encased in collectible packaging, the Zune-Halo 3 edition digital media player comes preloaded with artwork, trailers and music from all three “Halo” games, as well as an exclusive new episode of “Red vs. Blue” from the fan-adored machinima creator Rooster Teeth Productions LLC. The Zune-Halo 3 edition will be available exclusively at GameStop starting June 15 for an estimated retail price of $249 (U.S.).

About Bungie Studios
Bungie Studios was founded in 1991 with two goals: to develop games that combine brilliant technology, beautiful art, intelligent stories and deep gameplay, and then sell enough of those games to achieve its real goal of total world domination. Over the past 10 years it has produced games such as the “Marathon Trilogy” and the first two “Myth” games, hailed as classics by critics and gamers around the world. Bungie’s “Halo” franchise is an international award-winning action title that has grown into a global entertainment phenomenon, selling more than 14.7 million units worldwide, logging nearly 1 billion hours of multiplayer action on Xbox LIVE, and spawning action figures, books, a graphic novel, apparel and more. Bungie is currently at work on “Halo 3,” which represents the third chapter in this “Halo” trilogy and is slated for release in 2007. More information on Bungie can be found at http://www.bungie.net.

About Microsoft Game Studios
Microsoft Game Studios is a leading worldwide publisher and developer of games for the Xbox® and Xbox 360 video game systems, the Windows® operating system and online
platforms. Comprising a network of top developers, Microsoft Game Studios is committed to creating innovative and diverse games for Windows (http://www.microsoft.com/games), including such franchises as “Age of Empires®,” “Flight Simulator” and “Zoo Tycoon®”; Xbox and Xbox 360 (http://www.xbox.com), including such games as “Gears of War” and franchises such as “Halo,” “Fable®,” “Project Gotham Racing®” and “Forza Motorsport®”; and MSN® Games (http://www.games.msn.com), the official games channel for the MSN network and home to such hits as “Bejeweled” and “Hexic®.”

Tuesday, June 12, 2007

SUNW: Sun Tunes Solaris Express Developer Edition for Enhanced Multicore Development

Sun Microsystems, Inc., (NASDAQ: SUNW), today announced new functionality for Solaris Express Developer Edition, including new compilers and development tools, to help application developers create better applications faster. The OpenSolaris-based distribution offers developers for the Solaris Operating System (OS), Java platform, and Web 2.0 applications a new set of products which are optimized for the newest multicore architectures. Solaris Express Developer Edition was created using the most current OpenSolaris community source code contributions and includes Sun Studio 12 software to accelerate application performance by parallelizing C, C++, and Fortran applications.


"Software developers increasingly demand innovative platforms and tools to allow their applications to take maximum advantage of multi-core chip architectures, such as the market-leading 32-thread Sun UltraSPARC T1. The new threading tools and compiler optimizations in Sun Studio 12 provide an advanced suite of tools and libraries that ease the development of applications on the newest multi-core SPARC and x86-based systems," said Marc Hamilton, vice president of Solaris marketing for Sun. "Coupled with the advantages of the underlying platform, the Solaris OS provides leadership in the development and deployment of next generation multicore applications."

The new release of Solaris Express Developer Edition offers a modern GNOME-based desktop including Mozilla Firefox 2.0, Mozilla Thunderbird 2.0 beta 2, and StarOffice 8 update 6 software. In addition, this update includes NetBeans Integrated Development Environment (IDE) 5.5 for the development of desktop, web, and enterprise Java applications. Sun Studio 12 includes auto parallelizing compilers and support for the OpenMP 2.5 API, and has a new feature that identifies at runtime many common but difficult-to-detect multithreading issues, such as race and deadlock conditions. Combined with a next-generation IDE, Sun Studio 12 software offers a complete, integrated, easy-to-use toolchain for those that develop for the most advanced OS on the planet.

Sun Studio 12 software uses innovative optimization techniques on x86 systems to deliver up to 25% better performance on compute-intensive benchmarks, and up to 80% better performance for memory-intensive, industry-recognized benchmarks.

Additional functionality includes new wireless drivers, the first phase of a project to automatically configure network interfaces, new Xorg server enhancements and new X windows libraries, plus a DTrace provider to allow tracing X client applications.

Solaris Express Developer Edition supports a wide variety of common x86-based desktop and laptop hardware, and has been optimized for servers being developed based on Sun's 64-thread Niagara 2 processor. The Sun Blade 6000 blade server supports SPARC, AMD Opteron and Intel processors running Solaris Express Developer Edition, the industry leading developer OS for those processors.

Solaris Express Developer Edition 5/07 is available to download today at www.sun.com/sxde and is the second iteration of a new distribution based on the OpenSolaris project, providing developers with a fully integrated environment for developing applications for Solaris, Java technology, and Web 2.0. Solaris Express Developer Edition offers simplified installation so developers can get Solaris up and running more easily, saving time and effort, and Sun Developer Expert Assistance is available for developers to can get coding advice and learn best practices for development. Solaris Express Developer Edition is being developed in the OpenSolaris community, and Sun plans to release regular updates with additional capabilities and ease of use enhancements.

AOL Launches Open APIs for Xdrive Allows Developers to Enhance Their Websites with Online Storage, Rich Media Management and Sharing

XdriveAOL today announced the availability of Open Xdrive (available at dev.aol.com), a free, publicly available API that allows developers to create rich media management and sharing experiences for their Website users. With Open Xdrive, consumers can upload, organize, and share all file types – photos, videos, music, and documents – from any Website. All files are stored to and accessed from the consumer’s personal Xdrive online storage account.

Xdrive®, a free service available to all Web users at Xdrive.com, manages an online storage platform that provides consumers with 5GB of free storage without limiting file size or bandwidth consumption. Upgrades to 50GB accounts are available for $9.95 per month. Xdrive is a Verisign Secure Site, and provides password protection for all sessions and stored assets. Xdrive’s high volume network and horizontally scalable processor complex provide the performance and reliability that consumers demand.

“Rich media management and online storage increases engagement. Giving consumers the ability to share their media assets help Website owners build awareness and increase their audience,” said David Liu, Senior Vice President of AOL Portals. “By utilizing each consumer’s complimentary 5GB Xdrive account, a Website owner can benefit from these capabilities without incurring the usual infrastructure, operations, and development costs.”

Open Xdrive® APIs have been created for rapid application development. The JSON-based interface can be accessed by both Web and desktop applications. Open Xdrive has the native capabilities to perform the full range of functions that an application requires to deliver rich media and sharing capabilities. Full documentation, an interactive development environment, and a set of reference applications allow developers to rapidly become proficient with Open Xdrive.

The AOL Developer Network provides third-party developers with direct access to AOL’s technology platforms and open APIs. For more information about available open APIs, tools and documentation for services such as Open AIM®, Web AIM®, Open Xdrive®, AIM® Pages, AOL® Video Search powered by Truveo®, MapQuest®, Winamp® and others, please visit http://dev.aol.com/

Monday, June 11, 2007

Apple Unveils Near Final Mac OS X Leopard

Apple® today unveiled a near final version of Mac OS® X Leopard, the sixth major release of the world’s most advanced operating system. Scheduled to ship in October, Leopard introduces over 300 new features, including a new Desktop and Dock with Stacks, an intuitive new way to organize files; an updated Finder featuring Cover Flow™ and a new way to easily browse and share files between multiple Macs; Quick Look, a new way to rapidly preview most files without opening an application; Time Machine, a new way to easily and automatically back up and restore lost files or a complete Mac®; Spaces, a powerful new feature to create groups of applications and instantly switch between them; and enhanced iChat and Mail applications, which easily allow users to communicate even more creatively.

“Leopard is the best release of Mac OS X to date, surpassing even Tiger, and will further extend Mac OS X’s leadership as the most advanced and innovative operating system in the world,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “We think current and prospective customers are going to love Leopard, and that it will help make the Mac even more popular.”

Leopard includes a completely new Dock featuring Stacks, which can help manage a user’s desktop clutter caused by browser and email downloads. With the click of a mouse, users can instantly fan out the contents of a stack to easily see each item. Leopard’s Finder has been completely redesigned, adding Cover Flow as an innovative way to quickly browse and locate files and applications. Finder’s new Sidebar simplifies the organization of files on a Mac, and adds easy access to shared Macs and PCs on a home network. Subscribers to .Mac can also use the new “Back to my Mac" feature to browse and access files on their remote Macs over the Internet. Also new in Leopard is Quick Look, an innovative new way for users to instantly preview almost any file, and even play media files, without opening an application.

With its unique ability to let users travel back in time to find deleted files, applications, photos and other digital media, Time Machine is a revolutionary way to protect your digital life. With just a one-click setup, Time Machine automatically keeps an up-to-date copy of everything on the Mac. In the event a file is lost, users can use Mac OS X’s Spotlight™ to search back through time to find and then instantly restore the file. Time Machine can automatically back up a Mac to an external hard drive connected with a FireWire® or USB cable, to a server, or wirelessly to an AirPort Extreme® base station with an attached hard drive.

Leopard also includes three new technologies that take full advantage of the latest developments in processor hardware: full native 64-bit support to enable applications to take complete advantage of 64-bit processing while still running side by side with existing 32-bit Mac OS X applications and drivers; easy multi-core optimization and scheduling to take advantage of the latest Intel hardware; and Core Animation, helping developers easily create animated user experiences as amazing as Leopard’s Spaces and Time Machine in their own applications.

Other new features in Leopard include:

  • Leopard Mail, offering more ways to customize and add personal style to email than ever before, with more than 30 beautiful stationery designs and layouts that look great on a Mac or Windows PC; Notes, making it as easy to take and organize notes as it is to compose and read emails; To Dos, for creating lists viewed directly in Mail and automatically sync them with iCal®; and data detectors that automatically sense phone numbers, addresses and events so they can be easily added to Address Book or iCal;

  • Leopard iChat with iChat Theater, letting users present photos, presentations, videos and files in a video conference; Photo Booth effects, enabling users to transform their iChat video in real time with fun distortion and color effects; and video backdrops that allow users to choose any photo or video that makes them appear to be anywhere in the world, or out of it;

  • Leopard iCal, introducing powerful group calendaring features based on the open CalDAV standard that make it easy to organize and coordinate schedules with other people;

  • Spaces, giving users a powerful new, clutter-free way to create customized spaces on the desktop with only the applications or files needed for each project, and the ability to quickly switch between them with one click of a mouse or keystroke;

  • Web Clip, bringing anything that a user wants from a web page to Dashboard as a live widget;

  • Boot Camp, making it possible to run Windows natively on Intel-based Macs*; and

  • new development tools, including Xcode® 3 with a next generation editor; an all new Interface Builder for easier integration of advanced animation effects into an application; simpler debugging; and support for Objective-C 2.0; DashCode, a better way to create new Dashboard widgets without writing a line of code; and Xray, a new application for optimizing application performance.




Pricing & Availability
Mac OS X version 10.5 Leopard is scheduled to ship in October and will be available through the Apple Store® (www.apple.com ), Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers for a suggested retail price of $129 (US) for a single user license. The Mac OS X Leopard Family Pack is a single-residence, five-user license that will be available for a suggested retail price of $199 (US). Volume and maintenance pricing is available from Apple.

*Copy of Windows XP or Vista required.

Apple Introduces Safari for Windows

Apple® today introduced Safari™ 3, the world’s fastest and easiest-to-use web browser for Windows PCs and Macs. Safari is the fastest browser running on Windows, based on the industry standard iBench tests, rendering web pages up to twice as fast as IE 7 and up to 1.6 times faster than Firefox 2. Safari joins iTunes® in delivering Apple’s legendary user experience to both Windows and Mac® users as well as full support of open Internet standards. Safari 3 features easy-to-manage bookmarks, effortless browsing with easy-to-organize tabs and a built-in RSS reader to quickly scan the latest news and information. Safari 3 public beta is available today as a free download at www.apple.com/safari.

“We think Windows users are going to be really impressed when they see how fast and intuitive web browsing can be with Safari,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “Hundreds of millions of Windows users already use iTunes, and we look forward to turning them on to Safari’s superior browsing experience too.”

Safari has always been the fastest browser on the Mac and now it’s the fastest browser on Windows, loading and drawing web pages up to twice as fast as Microsoft Internet Explorer 7 and up to 1.6 times faster than Mozilla Firefox 2.* The speed of Safari combined with its intuitive user interface lets users spend more time surfing the web and less time waiting for pages to load. Other Safari features now available to Windows users include SnapBack™, one-click access to an initial search query; resizable text fields; and private browsing to ensure that information about an individual’s browsing history isn’t stored.

Safari 3 supports all modern Internet standards so users can view websites as they were meant to be seen, including HTML, CSS, JavaScript, SVG and Java. Safari software updates are delivered seamlessly through Apple’s Software Update application, which automatically checks for updates.

Pricing & Availability
The free public beta of Safari 3 is available immediately as a download at www.apple.com/safari, and is preview software licensed for use on a trial basis for a limited time. The final version of Safari 3 will be available as a feature in the upcoming Mac OS® X version 10.5 Leopard, and will be available as a free download to Mac OS X Tiger and Windows users in October.

System Requirements
Safari 3 for Mac OS X requires Mac OS X Tiger 10.4.9 or later, a minimum of 256MB of memory and is designed to run on any Intel-based Mac or a Mac with a PowerPC G5, G4 or G3 processor and built-in FireWire®. Safari 3 for Windows requires Windows XP or Windows Vista, a minimum of 256 MB of memory and a system with at least a 500 MHz Intel Pentium processor.

*Performance will vary based on system configuration, network connection and other factors. Testing conducted on an iMac 2.16 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo system running Windows XP, with 1GB of RAM.

iPhone to Support Third-Party Web 2.0 Applications

Apple® today announced that its revolutionary iPhone™ will run applications created with Web 2.0 Internet standards when it begins shipping on June 29. Developers can create Web 2.0 applications which look and behave just like the applications built into iPhone, and which can seamlessly access iPhone’s services, including making a phone call, sending an email and displaying a location in Google Maps. Third-party applications created using Web 2.0 standards can extend iPhone’s capabilities without compromising its reliability or security.

“Developers and users alike are going to be very surprised and pleased at how great these applications look and work on iPhone,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “Our innovative approach, using Web 2.0-based standards, lets developers create amazing new applications while keeping the iPhone secure and reliable.”

Web 2.0-based applications are being embraced by leading developers because they are far more interactive and responsive than traditional web applications, and can be easily distributed over the Internet and painlessly updated by simply changing the code on the developers’ own servers. The modern web standards also provide secure data access and transactions, like those used with Amazon.com or online banking.

Apple Announces New Mac OS X Server Leopard Features

Apple® today announced groundbreaking new features of Mac OS® X Server version 10.5 Leopard that make it even easier for users to set up and manage. Scheduled to ship in October, Leopard Server is the most significant improvement to the server operating system since Mac OS X Server was launched, introducing new features such as a wiki server, making it easy to connect groups over a shared intranet; Podcast Producer, the ideal way to automatically produce and publish podcasts to iTunes® or a blog; and Spotlight™ Server to quickly find content stored on other servers. Leopard Server also includes the new iCal® Server, based on the CalDAV open standard that works with Leopard’s new iCal application.

“Only Apple can deliver an advanced server operating system packed with over 250 new features on the same day as our client OS,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. “With no client access licenses, Leopard Server is the most affordable way to bring innovative server features, such as group calendaring and a wiki server, to everyone from small businesses to large educational institutions.”

Small businesses and workgroups without an IT department can take advantage of Leopard Server’s ability to automatically configure Leopard clients for use on the server, including file sharing, Mail, iCal, iChat, Address Book and VPN. Leopard Server also includes a new setup interface with a built-in Network Health Check, a new Server Preferences application and a server status Dashboard widget.

With the wiki server, groups can easily create and edit collaborative web pages, called wikis, with a few clicks of a mouse. The wiki server also maintains a complete history to restore previous entries and merge or compare different versions. Podcast Producer is the easiest way for anyone to record content, automatically upload it to the server and convert it into a podcast. Using Xgrid™, Podcast Producer can leverage Macs on the network to encode the video, and the podcast can then be delivered over the Internet to a blog, iTunes, or even to multimedia enabled mobile phones over high speed wireless networks using QuickTime® Streaming Server.

Apple has made scheduling across different calendar programs simple with iCal Server to coordinate events, schedule meetings and track time more effectively. iCal Server uses the open CalDAV standard for integration with leading calendar programs, including iCal 3 in Leopard, Mozilla’s Sunbird and OSAF’s Chandler. In addition, Apple's Directory makes it easy to search for people in an organization and view their contact information, picture, colleagues, groups and even see a location map.

Spotlight Server takes Spotlight’s lightning-fast desktop search capability to the network server level. Designed for workgroups with shared documents, projects and files, Spotlight Server delivers search results of content stored on mounted network volumes. Content indexing is done automatically and transparently on the server so searches are always fast and up-to-date.

Leopard Server’s core services, including Apache 2, MySQL 5, Postfix, Cyrus, Podcast Producer and QuickTime Streaming Server are 64-bit, allowing users to take full advantage of their 64-bit hardware’s performance and processing power and work with larger data sets. Since Leopard Server is fully 32-bit compatible, users can run 32-bit and 64-bit applications natively side-by-side. Leopard Server is also optimized to take full advantage of Intel’s latest multi-core processors.

Other new features in Leopard Server include:

  • Server Admin 4 with new file sharing and permission controls, tiered administration, and options for organizing servers into smart groups;

  • iChat Server 2 to securely communicate over instant messaging with others on different systems outside an organization’s firewall;

  • External Accounts to enable Leopard users to store their home directory on an external FireWire® or USB portable drive;

  • a new System Imaging Utility that uses a workflow-based editor to create customized images that can include Boot Camp® partitions;

  • Xgrid 2 featuring GridAnywhere for ad hoc distributed computing in environments without dedicated controllers, and Scoreboard for prioritizing job distribution to the fastest available CPU; and

  • QuickTime Streaming Server 6 with support for 3GPP Release 6 bit rate adaptation for smooth streaming when delivering content to mobile phones regardless of network congestion.



Pricing & Availability
Mac OS X Server version 10.5 Leopard is scheduled to ship in October and will be available through the Apple Store® (www.apple.com ), Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers for a suggested retail price of $499 (US) for a 10-client edition and $999 (US) for an unlimited-client edition.

Me.dium Secures $15 Million Investment Round Led by Commonwealth Capital Ventures

Me.dium
Me.dium, a consumer software company, today announced that it has secured $15 million in Series B funding. The round was led by Waltham, MA-based Commonwealth Capital Ventures. Existing investors, Spark Capital, Appian Ventures, and noted investor Brad Feld also participated in this funding round. Commonwealth Capital Ventures also joins original Me.dium investor, Paypal Founder, Elon Musk.

This latest round raises Me.dium's total funding to $20 million since being founded in June of 2006. Me.dium reveals the hidden world of people and activity behind the browser, building a new Social Exploration Environment (SEE) for the Web. The funding will be used to build out the infrastructure to support its launch to the general public later this year.

"We believe Me.dium is pioneering the next phase of social interaction on the Web," said Elliott Katzman, general partner with Commonwealth Capital Ventures, who will join the Board of Directors at Me.dium. "With a proven technology and a world-class management team, Me.dium is well-positioned to lead this exciting new category."

"Me.dium has tremendous potential to change the way people experience the Internet, and the response from the private beta was phenomenal." said Santo Politi, General Partner with Spark Capital. "We are very excited to be a part of Me.dium."

"Commonwealth Capital Ventures clearly shared our vision on the evolution of how people will interact online," said Kimbal Musk, CEO, Me.dium. "We are excited to have them lead this round and join our existing investor team. Their proven understanding of the consumer was critical in our financing decision and was a clear value Commonwealth brought to the table."

Along with closing this funding round, Me.dium recently rolled out a major upgrade. The new version helps bring the social and contextual value people expect in the real world into their online experience. Me.dium's new user- interface, built by famed designer Neville Brody, combines two of the most often requested features into one interface. Now, Me.dium allows you see what your friends are doing online and truly surf together, as well as meet and interact with other people doing the same things as you.

As always, Me.dium gives the user complete control over where, when and with whom they share their information, as well as the ability to turn Me.dium on and off quickly and easily. By giving the user easy and obvious control, Me.dium puts the power in the users' hands for the first time to decide when they would like to share their information in return for clear and unique value.



About Commonwealth Capital Ventures

Commonwealth Capital Ventures (Waltham, MA) is a venture capital firm focused on software and services, communications technology, and instruments and systems investments in the Northeastern United States. The Partnership's collaborative, team-based investment approach brings the deep venture and operating expertise, experience, and contacts of the entire firm to bear to help every portfolio company be successful throughout all stages of their company's lifecycle. Since its inception in 1995, Commonwealth's partners have invested in more than 130 high-growth companies, many of which are leaders in their respective industry categories. The Partnership's limited partners are highly sophisticated venture investors and include leading endowments, foundations, family offices, and financial organizations. The firm currently manages over $580 million of committed capital across four funds. For more information, visit www.commonwealthvc.com

About Spark Capital

Spark Capital is a venture capital fund investing in ideas, entrepreneurs and companies building businesses that transform the distribution, management and monetization of media and content. Spark's General Partners are successful natives of the media and technology industries and have proven track records identifying and actively building market-leading companies in sectors including infrastructure (Qtera, RiverDelta, Aether Systems, Broadbus and BigBand), networks (College Sports Television, TVONE and XCOM) and content delivery systems (Akamai). With deep relationships in technology and media, investing and operations, Spark Capital is uniquely positioned to provide world-class entrepreneurs and revolutionary companies with the intelligence, network and resources needed to succeed in today's marketplace. With $260 million in funding, Spark Capital is focused on investment strategies that are at the nexus of content, distribution and technology. To learn more, visit www.sparkcapital.com

About Appian Ventures

Appian Ventures is a Denver-based venture capital firm that invests in "Applied Connectivity" -- software and technologies that exploit network connectivity to improve business performance. Investing at seed, early and growth stages, Appian's practice is to connect with entrepreneurs by treating them respectfully and their ideas thoughtfully. The firm's whole-company investment method sharpens a company's business focus and connects industry resources to help accelerate success. Active portfolio companies currently span six Western U.S. states and include Auctionpay, Carefx, Collective Intellect, ETI, IP Commerce, Me.dium, OpenLogic, Oxlo Systems, Me.dium, Ping Identity, Selero, Skyetek, Tendril, Valen Technologies, and Thought Equity Motion among others. For more information, please visit www.appianvc.com

About Me.dium

Founded in 2006 in Boulder, Colorado, Me.dium reveals the hidden world of people and activity behind your browser. Me.dium is a consumer software company offering an Internet browser extension that allows the user to see what other people are doing online and to interact with these people in real time. By revealing this new Social Exploration Environment TM (SEE), Me.dium graphically connects users with others doing similar things, allows them to browse the Internet with their friends and enables users to interact with others in their community, similarly to how one interacts with people in the real world.

Paris surrendered in just three days, proving she is French

Got this from a friend:

Paris surrendered in just three days, proving she is French.

IBM Boosts Support for Developer and Business Partner Communities

As part of its commitment to the software development community, IBM (NYSE: IBM) today announced new programs and offerings that make it even easier for software developers and IBM Business Partners to work with IBM. The new resources provide the tools needed to help customers more quickly and effectively deliver software to the market and remain competitive.

More than 1,600 developers around the globe join the IBM community every day, and hundreds of IBM Business Partners have validated and integrated their offerings on the IBM Rational Software Delivery Platform. Just this week, more than a dozen ISVs are announcing new solutions validated on the new IBM Rational offerings, while business partner attendance at the IBM Rational Software Development Conference is up 50 percent -- with attendance at Rational Business Partner Day more than doubling last year's participation.

"In response to growing customer demand for reliable, secure and integrated software development, business partners and developers are turning to IBM Rational software to help them grow their businesses," said Scott Hebner, vice president of marketing and strategy, IBM Rational software. "IBM's vast library of tools and resources cannot be matched. Whether online, in virtual worlds such as Second Life, or at local enablement and sales events, IBM is helping our extended community of developers and business partners drive innovation in software development."

The new programs, resources and offerings include:

Rational Software Comes to You -- Business partners can bring the experience and education of the Rational Software Development Conference to their local markets. With 20 events planned in emerging markets in 2007, Rational Software Comes to You gives business partners the tools, support and guidance needed to provide customers with an in-depth educational experience while networking with peers in their own markets. With a successful 2006 pilot of the program and 1,400 registrants, Rational Software Comes to You will help business partners bring their solutions to more than 5,000 attendees at 150 events around the globe. For more information or to sign up, IBM Business Partners can visit: www.ibm.com/software/rational/rsdc/2u/

New Software Trials Available on developerWorks -- Further enabling its six million member community to broaden and grow their skills on the IBM Rational software delivery platform, IBM developerWorks offers a wide range of technical resources and best practices, free of charge. In support of community-driven innovation for IBM Rational developers, developerWorks has added several new software trials to the Rational zone, including resources for IBM Rational ClearCase and IBM Rational Portfolio Manager, a revamped "Ready for Rational" portal and new IBM Rational Method Composer (formerly the Rational Unified Process) plug-ins. For more information and to access these resources, please visit: www.ibm.com/developerworks/rational

IBM Rational Business Partner Community Portal -- The new community portal provides a simple interface for business partners to access resources and information designed to build their technical skills, create sales opportunities and close business. The portal features access to special business partner-only education, market intelligence, and community tools that drive collaboration between IBM Rational Business Partners and sales teams. The portal can be accessed at www.ibm.com/software/rational/businesspartners

CODESTATION -- As part of its commitment to the developer community, IBM is broadening the experience for avatars visiting CODESTATON, an island in the developer archipelago of virtual world Second Life (http://slurl.com/secondlife/IBM%20CODESTATION/124/159/25/ ). During the IBM Rational Software Development Conference, visitors can chat with fellow avatars while viewing the General Sessions, catch IBM Rational product demonstrations and interact with IBM Rational experts. To attend the Conference in Second Life, please visit: http://slurl.com/secondlife/IBM%205/17/22/23. In the coming months, users will also have the opportunity to compete for prizes against fellow Second Life coders in the first CODESTATION "Coders Challenge" -- an LSL scripting challenge.

developerWorks Live! Technical Briefing in Second Life -- On June 21, IBM will host its first-ever developerWorks Live! technical briefing in Second Life to help developers get up-to-speed on the latest industry trends. Aimed at bringing together developers, IT directors and administrators from around the world, the briefing will help users understand what they need to do to make Web 2.0 a reality for their business. Attendees will see a flash presentation of the hottest technologies and interact with experts. For more information and to register, please visit: www.ibm.com/developerworks/offers/techbriefings/details/web20sl.html

Software Value Incentive (SVI) -- This program allows IBM Business Partners to earn up to 35% in incentives when identifying, selling or fulfilling IBM Rational software sales. The introduction of four new Rational Technical Sales Mastery exams at this year's Rational Software Development Conference makes it easier for partners to satisfy SVI's certification requirements and recent enhancements to the Global Partner Portal. The portal allows partners to register SVI leads and request sales support, as well as helps partners manage and close deals more quickly. For more information, visit: www.ibm.com/software/rational/businesspartners

IBM Rational Quality Management Initiative -- New resources are now available to help IBM Business Partners evolve their technical and selling skills to address their customers' quality management issues. Business partners can now access education and training materials, executive and technical sales presentations, white papers, demonstrations, migration kits and other resources focused on quality management. Registered PartnerWorld IBM Business Partners can access these resources at: www.ibm.com/software/rational/businesspartners

Ready for IBM Rational Business Partners can now qualify for IBM PartnerWorld Advanced-level member benefits -- Ready for IBM Rational business partners will now have access to IBM's Advanced-level IBM Business Partner resources including access to IBM's field teams through sales connections and value marketing resources. The Ready for IBM Rational software validation program helps ISV business partners develop solutions that work with IBM Rational offerings. Completion of the initiative offers Business Partners the opportunity to differentiate themselves with the Ready for IBM Rational mark. For more information, visit: www.ibm.com/isv

For more information about IBM Rational and the benefits IBM Business Partners receive, please visit: www.ibm.com/software/rational/businesspartners

Wednesday, June 06, 2007

NextBio Announces $7 Million Series B Financing for Life Sciences Search Engine

NextBioNextBio (www.nextbio.com), a Cupertino-based company that has developed the first search engine for life sciences data, today announced the closing of a $7 million "Series B" financing led by Newbury Ventures (www.newburyven.com), with participation by existing investors.

The new funds will be used to further expand NextBio's industry-leading content, scale its technology infrastructure to handle millions of queries, and build its community collaboration and data sharing features. Bruce Bauer, Senior Managing Director of Newbury Ventures, will join NextBio's Board of Directors.

"We believe there is a tremendous market opportunity for a search engine that fundamentally changes the way life science researchers find and share information," stated Bruce Bauer of Newbury Ventures. "NextBio's outstanding customer traction and feedback makes this an especially exciting investment for us. We believe that NextBio has the seasoned team, technology, and long-term vision to transform an entire industry."

"We are excited to bring on board an experienced investor that shares our passion for revolutionizing life sciences research and drug development," said Saeid Akhtari, NextBio's co-founder and CEO. "We will utilize this significant capital infusion to accelerate our innovation, expand our content, and rapidly globalize adoption of the NextBio search and collaboration engine."

NextBio is a life sciences data search engine and community data sharing platform that introduces the web 2.0 paradigm of instant access, user-generated content and collaboration to life scientists and clinicians worldwide. Launched just eight months ago, NextBio's search engine has rapidly gained traction with users in over 60 academic institutes and pharmaceutical/ biotechnology companies that have endorsed its visionary approach to data search and sharing.

About NextBio

NextBio is the world's first data search and collaboration engine for life scientists and clinicians. Founded by a team of visionary innovators, NextBio addresses a fundamental need within R&D to effectively leverage vast quantities of internal and public life sciences information by connecting millions of researchers and clinicians through its search and share engine. NextBio's value in improving research efficiency and effectiveness has already been validated at the world's leading research organizations. For more information, visit www.nextbio.com.

About Newbury

Newbury Ventures is an international venture capital group focused on investing in and growing entrepreneurial companies in the technology, communications, information technology, and health care industries. Founded in 1992, Newbury is known for its insight, integrity and global approach to the business of venture capital, and has successfully managed investments of over $500 million in North America and Europe. Newbury's partners have financed well over 100 successful emerging growth technology companies, including Okena, Netro, Precise Software, Corvis/Algety, nCipher, and ACC. Newbury has offices in Redwood Shores, California; Ottawa, Canada; and Paris, France. www.newburyven.com

Sun Introduces The Most Open And Versatile Enterprise Blade Platform

Sun Microsystems, Inc. (NASDAQ: SUNW) today introduced the Sun Blade 6000 Modular System, which redefines the datacenter lifecycle with up to double the memory and double the I/O capacity of competing blades and rackmount servers. The Sun Blade 6000 Modular System offers a choice of blades powered by the UltraSPARC T1 processor with CoolThreads technology, Intel Xeon processors or AMD Opteron processors, allowing customers to deploy the industry's broadest range of applications ranging from virtualization, database, web tier and high performance computing (HPC) on a single common modular design.


The Sun Blade 6000 Modular System provides customers the most versatility of any blade platform. It uses the industry's highest performing microprocessors from Sun, Intel and AMD, and provides support for Solaris, Windows and Linux operating systems. Its increased memory capacity and I/O bandwidth makes Sun Blade 6000 the optimal virtualization platform, enabling it to support large memory configurations at half the cost. In addition, the new systems have been designed to maximize customer investment by supporting microprocessors with four and eight cores. All this enables the Sun Blade 6000 Modular System to run virtually any enterprise application.

"With the three fastest processor platforms, three operating systems, the most memory and I/O bandwidth, Sun is delivering a system that enables customers to upgrade to virtualized blade platforms without the expense or technical compromises presented by all our competitors," said John Fowler, executive vice president, Sun Systems Group. "We are now offering the broadest support of volume architecture and operating systems in the industry - combined with the energy efficiency. The Sun Blade 6000 can be anyone's universal deployment platform."

As the industry's most open blade platform, the Sun Blade 6000 easily integrates into existing datacenter infrastructure and management systems, without requiring proprietary I/O, proprietary management or hidden licensing costs. System features and support for the Solaris 10 OS, Windows and Linux ensure optimal performance today, while allowing customers to scale for future growth without forklift upgrades.

The Sun Blade 6000 Modular System includes the following components and features:
  • Sun Blade 10 RU chassis: Supports up to 10 blades per chassis with up to four chassis per rack for a full capacity of to up to 320 cores, 2.5 terabytes (TB) of memory and five Tbps usable I/O throughput per rack

  • Sun Blade T6300 Server Module: 1-socket blade powered by an UltraSPARC T1 processor with CoolThreads technology

  • Sun Blade X6250 server module: 2-socket quad-core ready blade powered by Quad-Core Intel Xeon processor 5300 series, representing Sun's first Intel Xeon-based product since Sun and Intel announced their strategic alliance last January, and Sun's first quad-core based product.

  • Sun Blade X6220 Server Module: 2-socket blade powered by Second-Generation AMD Opteron processors

  • No-compromise power and cooling technology: Delivers optimized cooling and airflow, resulting in higher systems reliability and power efficiency

  • Open industry standard I/O: Leverages industry standard PCI-Express I/O architecture and adapters, allowing customers to install or replace an I/O module without interfering with systems operation

  • Open transparent management: Supports the most standard interfaces to facilitate fast and easy integration into customers' existing blade or rackmount management infrastructure, whether those management tools are from Sun or other vendors

Early access and beta customers such as College of Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences at Oregon State University and the University of Notre Dame have begun to test and implement Sun Blade 6000 Modular Systems in their datacenters. For quotes and more details on customer and ISV support of the Sun Blade 6000, please visit: http://sun.com/servers/blades/perspectives.jsp

Sun Blade Server Modules Set Multiple New World Records on a Broad Range of Industry Standard Benchmarks

The Sun Blade 6000 Modular System also packs a performance punch with its comprehensive choice of versatile server modules. Regardless of the underlying microprocessor architecture, the innovative system design combined with the latest capabilities of the Sun Studio 12 software running on top of the Solaris 10 OS propelled these new blades to the top of industry-recognized Java, HPC and compute-intensive benchmarks. Additional details on these record-breaking results can be found at: http://www.sun.com/servers/blades/6000/benchmarks

Sun Refresh Service: Build an "Always Fresh" Datacenter

The Sun Refresh Service now includes the Sun Blade X6220 Server Module, allowing customers to reach maximum performance and efficiency from their datacenters on an ongoing basis at half the cost of traditional acquisition methods. Future support is planned for the other server modules. The subscription service program includes installation of the Sun Blade 6000 Modular System with server modules, plus three refreshes of server modules over a 42-month period. Customers receive automatic upgrades to the latest blade architecture as soon as it becomes available. For more information on the Sun Refresh Service, please visit: http://www.sun.com/refreshservice. For information on additional Sun services and solutions that help datacenters and Sun Blade servers optimize their performance and efficiency, please visit: http://www.sun.com/services

Availability and Pricing

The Sun Blade 6000 Modular System is available now, with entry-level pricing starting at $4,995 for the Sun Blade 6000 Chassis; $5,995 per server module for the Sun Blade T6300; $3,695 per server module for the Sun Blade X6250; and $3,995 per server module for the Sun Blade X6220. For more information on the Sun Blade 6000 Modular System, including pricing, availability and promotions, please visit: http://www.sun.com/servers/blades/6000/

Tuesday, June 05, 2007

Original Pac-Man Creator Surprises World With First New Mazes in 26 Years — Only on Xbox 360

PacMan
The year was 1981: Big hair, high-waisted jeans and popped-up collars were popular fashions, “Bette Davis Eyes” topped the charts, “Raiders of the Lost Ark” hit theaters, and everyone was saving up quarters to play the latest video games. Also that year, a new video game by game designer Toru Iwatani at NAMCO LTD. (currently NAMCO BANDAI Games Inc.) hit arcades around the world and would soon become a pop- culture phenomenon and one of the most beloved games of all time.


That game was “Pac-Man®,” and today Microsoft Corp. and NAMCO BANDAI Games made video game history by unveiling the “Pac-Man Championship Edition” — featuring the first new Pac-Man mazes in more than 26 years — available only on the Xbox 360™. This brand new game was introduced today in New York City at the first-ever Xbox 360 Pac-Man World Championship, presented by Quiznos. As a special surprise from Iwatani and NAMCO BANDAI Games, the 10 tournament competitors became the first in the world to play and compete on the “Pac-Man Championship Edition” before its launch at 9 a.m. GMT (5 a.m. EDT) on June 6, 2007, only on Xbox LIVE® Arcade on the Xbox 360.

The “Pac-Man Championship Edition” is the same beloved “Pac-Man” game played in pizza parlors and arcades of the ’80s but is updated with new features that former “Pac-Man” fanatics and new generations of fans alike will love. It includes new mazes that dynamically change shape during gameplay, six new timed game modes, new soundtracks and high-definition (HD) graphics. Details include the following:

• Classic 2-D “Pac-Man” presentation with a new, modern look in HD

• Six new, timed game modes:

• The Championship Mode. This is the main game mode designed by NAMCO BANDAI Games and Iwatani specifically for the championship round of the Xbox 360 Pac-Man World Championship. This mode — as well as all others within the “Pac-Man Championship Edition” — features redesigned mazes with wide maze walls and a widescreen configuration to better enable high-speed game play. Timed limit of five minutes.

• Challenge Mode 1 (Patience and Reward Course). This mode is an evolution of the Championship Mode. Patience mazes strategically offer fewer Power Pellets, and Reward mazes provide a large number of Power Pellets —providing unique challenges and rewards for the player. Timed limit of 10 minutes.

• Challenge Mode 2 (The Darkness Course). In this mode, only the area directly around Pac-Man and the ghosts is visible and the maze walls are completely hidden. Timed limit of 10 minutes.

• Extra Mode 1 (The Freeway Course). An extremely high-speed mode for advanced players, this mode features warp-speed Pac-Man and ghosts and plenty of tunnels. Timed limit of five minutes.

• Extra Mode 2 (The Manhattan Course). A mode inspired by the streets of Manhattan — the home of the first-ever Xbox 360 Pac-Man World Championship. Timed limit of five minutes.

• Extra Mode 3 (The Overall Course). A mix of all other modes resulting in extreme mazes for the most devout Pac-Man fans. Timed limit of 10 minutes.


• Xbox LIVE leaderboards, Achievements and Gamerscore

• Rated E for Everyone by the Entertainment Software Rating Board

• Costs 800 Microsoft® Points

• Available for download only on Xbox LIVE Arcade on the Xbox 360 starting at 9 a.m. GMT (5 a.m. EDT) on Wednesday, June 6, 2007


“Pac-Man Championship Edition” made its official debut during today’s New York City finals for the Xbox 360 Pac-Man World Championship, presented by Quiznos. The 10 participants from four continents and eight countries around the world — Austria, Canada, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Taiwan, the United Kingdom and the U.S. — competed at The Supper Club in New York City’s Times Square. To advance to the championship finals, each participant had to earn the highest “Pac-Man” score in their respective home country during the qualifying rounds that took place from May 4 through May 10, 2007. In an exciting finale, these top players competed on the new “Pac-Man Championship Edition” several hours before its upcoming launch on Xbox LIVE Arcade — the online games service exclusively for the Xbox 360 that today offers more than 60 downloadable game titles, including well-known arcade classics, card and puzzle games, and innovative original titles. The event was capped off with Iwatani crowning the first Xbox 360 Pac-Man World Champion — Carlos Daniel Borrego, a 27-year-old man from Pachuca, Mexico.

“It feels great to be the first-ever Xbox 360 Pac-Man World Champion,” said Borrego, who has been playing “Pac-Man” since 1985 and achieved a score of 222,160 on the “Pac-Man Championship Edition” during the final match. “It is a thrill to hold the title and to have won it by playing on the new game. This is amazing, and I want to dedicate it to my family and Mexico!”

Along with the distinction of being the first in the world to play the “Pac-Man Championship Edition” and the international acclaim for being the first Xbox 360 Pac-Man World Champion, Borrego was awarded other great prizes, including 26 years of free Quiznos toasted subs (one sandwich a week for 26 years, a $13,520 [U.S.] value); 100,000 Microsoft Points for games, movies and other fun content available on Xbox LIVE; and a one-of-a-kind Xbox 360 signed by Iwatani and featuring a special design inspired by “Pac-Man.”

“I’m deeply honored that people view ‘Pac-Man’ as my lasting legacy and am so excited to come full circle by releasing the ‘Pac-Man Championship Edition’ with its exciting new mazes and modes on Xbox LIVE Arcade on the Xbox 360,” said Iwatani, creator of “Pac-Man” and currently a professor at Tokyo Polytechnic University. “It gives me great joy to know that my final contributions in my corporate career were to crown the Xbox 360 Pac-Man World Champion and to leave the world with an amazing new ‘Pac-Man’ game for generations to enjoy.”

Since launching in 1980 in Japan and in 1981 around the world, “Pac-Man,” its host of ghosts and its famous “wakka wakka wakka” sound have become global pop-culture icons. This arcade game played an instrumental role in establishing the video game industry in the 1980s, while the launch of Xbox LIVE in 2002 was a key factor behind the rapid growth in popularity of online gaming. Today, Xbox LIVE Arcade is the premier online destination for digitally distributed HD games offering fans around the globe a great opportunity to connect, compete, and enjoy the fun.

“‘Pac-Man’ was the game that ignited the world’s passion for video games, with every member of the family hooked on avoiding Clyde and eating up all the Power Pellets,” said Jeff Bell, corporate vice president of Global Marketing for the Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft. “It is a tremendous honor that NAMCO BANDAI and Toru Iwatani are going to use the power of the Xbox 360 and Xbox LIVE Arcade platform to deliver the next evolution of ‘Pac-Man’ to the world.”

“We would like to tip our hats to the players who traveled from far and wide to display their ‘Pac-Man’ talent to the world and to congratulate Carlos from Mexico on his victory,” said Steve Provost, executive vice president and chief marketing executive for Quiznos. “There couldn’t have been a better way to celebrate the 26-year anniversary of Quiznos’ chef-inspired toasted sandwiches than to help make the first-ever Xbox 360 Pac-Man World Championship into a reality.”

About Pac-Man

As the story goes, one day in 1979, Namco developer Toru Iwatani removed a single slice of pizza and, after looking down upon the rest of the pie, saw what was to become one of the most popular characters in gaming history. The release of Pac-Man to arcades a year later (1980) lead to the beginning of “Pac-Mania,” in which over the next few years would yield everything from character-based board games and breakfast cereal to a top 40 song and popular Saturday-morning cartoon. Namco Bandai Games estimates that the original Pac-Man arcade title has been played more than ten billion times in its 27-year history.

About Toru Iwatani

Born in Tokyo, Japan, in 1955, Toru Iwatani joined Namco in 1977. As a game designer, he created “Pac-Man” in 1980. Among its many achievements, “Pac-Man” was recognized in “Guinness World Records 2005.” As of April 2007, Iwatani serves as a professor of a game course in the Faculty of Arts at the Tokyo Polytechnic University. Iwatani also acts as a fellow (special advisor) for NAMCO BANDAI Games Inc.

About Quiznos

Celebrating its 26th anniversary in 2007, Denver-based Quiznos is a national chain designed for today’s busy consumers who are looking for a tasty, fresher alternative to traditional fast food restaurants. Using only premium quality, real ingredients, Quiznos restaurants offer creative, chef-inspired recipes for sandwiches, soups and salads. With more than 5,000 franchise restaurants, Quiznos is one of the fastest-growing quick service restaurant chains.

In June 2006, Nation’s Restaurant News ranked Quiznos in its Top 100 Restaurant Chains as the #1 restaurant chain in growth in number of units – five years in a row. Entrepreneur magazine in January 2006 ranked Quiznos in its annual Top Franchise 500 as the #2 Best Overall Franchise and QSR magazine ranked the chain in its Top 50 Chains in August 2005 as #3 by change in system wide sales. For more information, visit http://www.quiznos.com

About Xbox LIVE Arcade

Xbox LIVE Arcade on Xbox 360 is the premier destination for digitally distributed high-definition games. Xbox LIVE Arcade is a fast-growing phenomenon with more than 25 million game downloads and a diverse library of original development and classic titles from the world’s best independent and established developers and publishers. With a dynamically updated library and free* trials for every title, Xbox LIVE Arcade makes it easy for every type of gamer — from casual to hard-core — to get instantly immersed in the fun. Xbox LIVE Arcade also lets friends connect and play these incredible games either from the same room or from around the world via the Xbox LIVE online entertainment network. More information can be found online at http://www.xbox.com/en-us/games/livearcade

About Xbox 360

Xbox 360 is the most powerful video game and entertainment system, delivering the best games, the next generation of the premier Xbox LIVE online gaming network and unique digital entertainment experiences that revolve around gamers. Xbox 360 has a catalog of more than 160 high-definition games and is available in 37 countries. More information can be found online at http://www.xbox.com/xbox360

New Intel Products Simplify and Speed Software Development for Multi-Core Processors

Intel Corporation today announced the availability of two software products that help developers efficiently create more reliable, high-performing applications that speed up a computer's responsiveness. The Intel® C++ Compiler and Fortran Professional Editions bring together a unique combination of highly optimizing compilers, performance libraries and the Intel® Threading Building Blocks.

The products feature new automatic support for accelerating program performance on Intel's latest multi-core processors. Applications containing 3-D graphics or video are automatically accelerated through the use of vectors via Streaming SIMD Extensions (SSE), including the latest SSE 4 instructions. Application performance is also accelerated by multi-core processors through the use of multiple threads. Combining the use of vectors and threads and integrating them with a technology known as loop transformation generates greater performance on multi-core processors without requiring developers to rewrite their code.

"Combining these capabilities in a cooperative and coordinated manner brings our customers added performance benefits and compiler reliability, which in turn gives greater PC responsiveness for gamers and everyday PC users," said Kevin J. Smith, director of the Intel Compiler Products. "This project has undergone extensive validation and application testing with Intel customers and we're excited about the results our customers are seeing in their applications."

The combined capabilities also provide benefits that extend beyond multi-core optimizations by assisting developers in locating vulnerabilities that would otherwise go undetected, such as uninitialized variables and possible buffer overruns.

The Intel® C++ Professional Edition for Windows*, Linux* and Mac OS* X combines the Intel compiler with the Intel® Math Kernel Library, the Intel® Integrated Performance Primitives and the Intel® Threading Building Blocks.

The Intel Fortran Compiler Professional Edition for Windows, Linux and Mac OS X combines the Intel compiler with the Intel Math Kernel Library. For the first time, the Intel® Visual Fortran Compiler 10.0 now includes Microsoft Visual Studio, which provides the visual development environment to create, edit, build and debug Fortran applications.

The new products are all available today with suggested prices ranging from $599 to $1,599. Upgrades to the Professional Editions from the prior version of Intel compilers or libraries are available for limited time through resellers worldwide.

Intel also announced a new package for students that include all of these products as well as Intel® VTune Performance Analyzer, Intel® Thread Checker and Intel® Thread Profiler in one discounted package for students who qualify.

Intel® Software provides resources, technologies, products and services developers need to create innovative products and industry-leading software solutions with enhanced business value and are designed to run best on Intel platforms. For more information, visit www.intel.com/software/products