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Microsoft Syncs Phone, PC Data with 'Live Mesh'

The house Gates built joins cloud computing trend

By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff

Posted Apr 23, 2008 12:10 PM CDT
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(Newser) – Microsoft is testing a new product that will allow users to link data across multiple electronic devices through the internet—so the picture you took on your phone can be in the digital picture frame in your home within minutes. It’s a big step for Microsoft, which until now has resisted the “cloud computing” movement, Reuters reports.

Cloud computing is the idea of computing and storing documents online, rather than on any particular device. Until now, Microsoft has seen the philosophy, championed by companies like Google, as a threat to its bread-and-butter software business. “This is exciting because it has as much to do with who is doing it as what Microsoft is doing,” said one analyst.

Microsoft's CEO Steve Ballmer answers a question from the audience at the Microsoft 2008 MVP Global Summit MVP event from Canada in Seattle on Thursday April 17, 2008.
Microsoft's CEO Steve Ballmer answers a question from the audience at the Microsoft 2008 MVP Global Summit MVP event from Canada in Seattle on Thursday April 17, 2008.   (AP Photo/Kevin P. Casey)
Ray Ozzie, Microsoft's chief software architect, speaks at the 2008 MVP Global Summit event in Seattle on Thursday, April 17, 2008.
Ray Ozzie, Microsoft's chief software architect, speaks at the 2008 MVP Global Summit event in Seattle on Thursday, April 17, 2008.   (AP Photo/Kevin P. Casey)
Microsoft's CEO Steve Ballmer talks at the 2008 MVP Summit in Seattle on Thursday, April 17, 2008.
Microsoft's CEO Steve Ballmer talks at the 2008 MVP Summit in Seattle on Thursday, April 17, 2008.   (AP Photo/Kevin P. Casey)
Ray Ozzie, Microsoft's chief software architect, speaks at the 2008 MVP Global Summit event in Seattle, Thursday, April 17, 2008.
Ray Ozzie, Microsoft's chief software architect, speaks at the 2008 MVP Global Summit event in Seattle, Thursday, April 17, 2008.   (AP Photo/Kevin P. Casey)
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Microsoft makes major addition to the cloud
Wired

Live Mesh screenshots
ZDNet

Risky software plus services play for Microsoft
InformationWeek

 
Internet • Microsoft • Steve Ballmer • cloud computing • Ray Ozzie

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