Yet Another Meeting

I discovered a new web service recently via a clever YouTube video that was circulating via my Twitter pals. In all honesty I can't really tell you how it works just yet as I've only just signed up and it's tough to have a meeting by yourself. Yam, short for Yet Another Meeting, is a collaborative tool for conducting meetings and sharing notes and docs, similar I suppose to Basecamp or even Google docs and spreadsheets, but perhaps with a little more emphasis on the user experience.

Live Mesh - Microsoft's Web Vision

On the heels of other mega corporations who have already laid plans for cloud computing, Microsoft has finally unveiled it's vision called "Live Mesh". Live Mesh will "connect and bring devices together... to work in concert" says Microsoft's Amit Mital. "This new software-plus-services platform enables PCs and other devices to 'come alive' by making them aware of each other through the internet," said Mr Mital. Not only will users be able to synchronize their own devices but Live Mesh is also designed to facilitate the sharing of media online between different users according to this BBC article. I expect we'll hear from the RIAA and movie industry insiders shortly about that little feature. Live Mesh is said to be initially geared to Windows XP and Vista users but will eventually be made available to Apple owners as well. "Users will have 5GB of personal online storage and unlimited peer-to-peer data, for synchronising information between devices." Sounds promising!

Microsoft's Downloadable Office Suite

Microsoft has announced a downloadable, subscription-based version of it's popular Microsoft Office, codenamed "Albany". The suite is currently available to users who signed up for beta testing and will offer Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007, with the latest versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote. According to this CBC article, "It will also include the Microsoft Office Live Workspace connector on the Microsoft Office toolbar, where users will be able to save documents online and share them with others, as well as security and backup services." Microsoft is not planning on retiring the sale of software on media, stating "At the same time, we are definitely not straying from our traditional software sales model. There will always be a significant number of users for whom purchasing a perpetual license to the latest version of Office is still the best choice." While no one is suggesting that Google's Docs are posing a serious threat at this time, I think Microsoft is seeing software as a service as a reality.

Software as a Service - SAP first biggie to throw hat in the ring

The Globe and Mail is reporting that SAP has unveiled a line of business management programs to be delivered via the Web. Ovum researcher David Mitchell is quoted as having written the following about the service “A1S takes SAP much closer to a more purist model of software as a service than it has previously attempted, and is likely to become a very significant part of the SAP portfolio in the years ahead,”. According to The Globe and Mail, SAP is the widely regarded as the world's top developer of "business software, which helps companies manage accounting, inventory control, shipping, sales and marketing."