Click here to receive your FREE subscription to Campus Technology
News
Microsoft's 'Albany' Project May Take Aim at Google Docs
3/28/2008
Microsoft appears to be working on a secret project called Albany, and while no one knows for sure exactly what it is yet, clues indicate that the company is looking to develop a stronger competitor to Google's free, online-hosted Google Docs service.
According to reports, word of Albany first spread last week when beta testers received e-mails from Microsoft asking them to participate in the private beta of the product. All About Microsoft's Mary Jo Foley reported Wednesday that while beta testers and others first speculated that Albany would be a Software-as-Service version of Microsoft Works, now they've told her it's more likely an update of two of Microsoft's Live products -- Office Live OneCare and Windows Live Workspaces -- integrated with Office Home and Student Edition.
"Microsoft is referring to the bundle of three, unnamed products/services as a 'ValueBox,' suggesting that Albany ultimately will be sold in a box at retail," Foley wrote. She also noted that according to a screenshot from one of the testers, Microsoft referred to the package as "ValueBox," indicating that the term may, at the very least, be under consideration for the package's final name.
While Microsoft isn't publicly commenting on Albany, its e-mail to beta testers indicates that the project is indeed consumer-focused, Foley reported.
If the speculation is right, it would appear that Microsoft wants a stronger challenger to the free Google Docs, although it's unclear whether Redmond would charge for the new suite. The current retail price for Office Home and Student Edition is $149.95.
Becky Nagel is executive editor, Web Initiatives for the 1105 Redmond Media Group and the editor of Redmondmag.com.
Cite this Site
copy text (above) for proper citation
Recommended Reading
- RIAA Outsources Fingering of Students Who Share Music Illegally
The RIAA is outsourcing the hunt for music thieves. Its largest target currently is those who operate from within colleges and universities, a move that has piqued the attention of Educause.
- Microsoft Expands Education Footprint in Asia Pacific Region
Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates announced new partnerships to extend accessibility and computer literacy in the Asia Pacific region during a speech in Jakarta at a government leader gathering earlier this week.
- IT Struggling Over Security, Compliance
IT pros are having a hard time balancing security, software patch management and IT auditing with a host of other duties, according to a survey released Monday by Shavlik Technologies.
- Toronto College Upgrades Network with Gigabit Ethernet Wireless Links
Toronto-based George Brown College has gone public about its deployment of six BridgeWave GE60 wireless links to upgrade its campus-wide network.
- Gates Highlights R&D at CES08, Unveils Microsoft Touch Wall
Microsoft's Chairman Bill Gates spent a lot of time Wednesday talking about "empowering the workers" at the Microsoft's 12th annual CEO Summit 2008 in Redmond, WA, where he gave a keynote speech. However, Gates wasn't talking about political revolutions or even pay raises for office workers before the CEO crowd. Instead, he was referring to new software technologies that can better enable collaboration, social networking and decision-making on the job.
- Vista Vulnerability Study Puts Microsoft on Defensive
Microsoft and some independent security researchers had the blogosphere buzzing Wednesday over a series of denunciations after one company claimed that the Vista operating system was more vulnerable to malware and other exploits than previous operating systems.
