Thewirelessreport.com has so many questions on the Microsoft / Nortel partnership. Looks like I’m also waiting for them to come up with the solutions ASAP and it does not turn into vapourware since waiting for VISTA is already taking up a lot of my spare time…..Its like waiting paint dry for the full Vista launch !

With Microsoft and Nortel just announcing that they are going to be teaming up on a unified communications partnership, one has to wonder what Microsoft has to offer here. Can you make a phone call directly from an Outlook contact? Can you reply to an email via voice instead of an email reply?

The previous news :

Microsoft on June 26 outlined its “unified communications” strategy, which aims to seamlessly interconnect email, instant messaging, and cellular and VoIP (voice-over-IP) telephony, along with audio-, video-, and web-conferencing. Additionally, Motorola and LG-Nortel announced plans to develop fixed and mobile devices supporting the unified communications platform.

Microsoft says its unified communications strategy takes advantage of new features in Exchange Server that provide a “unified in-box experience,” along with a speech-based auto attendant that allows users to access communications from any phone.

In light of increasing tensions in the middle east between Lebanon and Israel, Microsoft is taken some drastic actions to make sure its staff is protected.

Microsoft is taking extra precautions during the current Mideast conflict.

The company has imposed security measures at its Israel offices, has told employees to cancel or postpone travel to Israel or Lebanon, and has cleared its offices in Beirut until the situation changes.

“We wish for a swift and peaceful conclusion to this difficult situation, and for the safety of all concerned,” said a spokesman for Microsoft.

Intel has not closed its several facilities in Israel but has put in contingency plans. Employees in Haifa have also been moved to a “hardened facility” in the building. They can also work from home.

The Technion, Israel’s premier technical college, has been closed. The order to close came in the middle of exams on Sunday.

Microsoft Gets out of Lebanon for now source

Great news for those waiting for a 3G-ready Treo smartphone.

Working with Vodafone and Microsoft, Palm says a new 3G-ready Treo smartphone is headed to the European market before the end of the year. Palm said it will partner with Britain’s Vodafone and Microsoft to create a 3G Treo using Windows Mobile 5.0 to target European mobile e-mail users. Besides operating on Vodafone’s high-speed 3G network, the devices will provide push e-mail service using Microsoft’s Direct Push technology.

3G-ready Treo smartphone source

Microsoft has released the preview version of a software tool kit for building robot applications. Looks like the software giant now hopes to fire up the robot market with this software suite and its time we put fame back into engineering.

Microsoft officials perceive the robotics market as being on the verge of a rapid take-off, fuelled by the availability of cheap, high-performance hardware components. So far, the market has been unable to take off because of a need for better tools and a common software platform that will let applications be reused on different types of robots.

Robotics Studio, Microsoft’s package of tools and runtime software for robot applications is aimed at all types of robot builders, from commercial users to academics and hobbyists.

There are even third parties starting to use it and an example would be - Kuka. KUKA Roboter showed a lightweight robot prototype controlled via a remote joystick service, using Microsoft Robotics Studio-based services.