Microsoft is clearly not asleep at the switch and in this well written and in depth article Olga Kharif of Business Week has clearly defined the landscape and who the Redmond based giant is going after.
Skype/eBay and Google
Microsoft plans to integrate three main features into their overall suite of user capabilities:
In Windows Live Messenger and Mail users can call contacts directly from their address book. In Windows Live Expo, potential buyers and sellers can call each other’s computers. In Free Call, an upcoming click-to-call capability of MSN Local Search, that allows consumers to speak to advertisers free of charge. These last two strike into the hearts of Skype/eBay and Google.
While some may see Microsoft’s moves as competitive to either AOL or Yahoo, I see them more as compatible. Yahoo and MSFT already have agreed to interoperate, and I would not be surprised to see others join into that interoperability alliance in the future, as it just makes too much sense, and their is so much room to expand.
Microsoft’s world domination VoIP plans discussed
Microsoft plans to integrate three main features into their overall suite of user capabilities: In Windows Live Messenger and Mail users can call contacts directly from their address book. In Windows Live Expo, potential buyers and sellers can call eac…