Microsoft, Sandisk, Apple.. et al

I haven't been busy really, but haven't been posting anything since the past few days. All I've been doing is reading a lot of stuff, and I guess it would be appropriate to share what I've been going through. A lot of Microsoft is in the news, and somehow the leaders have managed to stay on the headlines since their Yahoo acquisition talks. I have no idea what happened to all that hoopla which was expected to carry forward since the last week, but then here is something else -

- Microsoft and Sandisk (the flash drive makers) partnering to come out with the next generation of USB drives and memory cards that lets users carry a personalized desktop and applications to any Windows PC. Well, to be more specific this next generation is carrying forward the U3 technology to the next level. I wasn't aware of this 'U3' buzzword, and then wiky-ing made me aware of the concept. In brief, U3 allows applications to be directly launched from the flash drive through a U3 launchpad which is similar to a Windows OS Start Menu. So basically you can personalize any desktop with your own settings by plugging in your U3 drive. Now both Microsoft and Sandisk are working towards carrying the entire desktop with you on your flash drive, so you can virtually personalize any desktop with your own settings. Interesting read..

- This might seem hilarious to a few, and audacious to a few more - Microsoft claiming that Linux has stolen 235 of its patents and is 'planning' to sue Linux out of the market. Well, as audacious as it might seem, it definitely won't be easy to even plan to take out the deep rooted Open Source Software from any realm. Happy Suing folks..

- This isn't new, but somehow didn't lay my eyes on this article earlier. A damn good analysis by Scot Finnie of ComputerWorld, on why Microsoft should fear Apple. Citing reasons of Apple being more market share savvy, superior products and the never-before seen buzz about itself, it makes up for a good read and some alarm bells for the giants.

- Further, nothing concrete about this article, but just the deft comparisons made. Dan Farber of ZDNet talks about recolonization of the world.. rather the web world!