“Microsoft Corp. on Tuesday said it is launching a desktop application that aims to seamlessly integrate e-mail, instant messaging, video conferencing, traditional phone service and Internet-based calling,” Mark Jewell reports for The Associated Press. “Microsoft plans to debut the product, code-named ‘Istanbul,’ sometime in the first half of 2005 to compete with efforts by rivals like IBM Corp. to link different channels of communications onto a single platform accessible from a computer.”
“Microsoft is testing Istanbul with corporate clients, and expects to run similar tests with consumers in the next few months before bringing the product to market, said Anoop Gupta, vice president of Microsoft’s real-time collaboration efforts,” Jewell reports. “Istanbul will enable users to communicate with others regardless of which brand of instant messaging either party is using, said Gupta, who announced the plans at the VON Fall 2004 conference on voice-over-Internet phone technology.”
“Istanbul will feature so-called ‘rich presence’ technology, using ‘buddy’ lists to indicate which colleagues or friends are available for a range of communications rather than merely through the IM service itself,” Jewell reports. “Then, users could choose to immediately respond to an e-mail via instant messenger or another method such as voice-over-Internet within the same application, rather than switching back and forth between applications.”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: We wouldn’t mind having something like this on our Mac OS X machines. Blend equal parts of Mail, iChat, Skype, and Vonage and call it iCommunicate
Why doesn’t microsoft try to fix the software they have now?
Why not just iComm?
Wow, Now they can fsck up 5 applications in 1. Way to go Red!
I can already smell the billions of dollars in damage clean up and third party products required to tape over the plethora of vulnerabilities that this product will no doubt introduce.
Haven’t the last few updates for Macs involved fixing Microsoft programs? Just wondering.
Mike
Applications such as this, especially coming from Microslop, will approach each function with signature mediocrity. I personally would rather have best of breed in each category.
Istanbul = InstantBull
And remember that Istanbul is in Turkey, which is what the people in Redmond are .. turkeys.
And boy was that nicer than what I planned on writing.
Istanbul? why didn’t M$ go the whole hog and just call it “Turkey”
Jack of all trades, master of none — the Microsoft philosophy
I can just see it now. A Windows virus or spyware that gets a hold of not only your email address, but you IM handle and your phone number. Great.
One of the main problems with apps such as Lotus Notes and Microsoft’s own Outlook is that they have combined everything into one app, making it unwieldy and bulky. Yes, Outlook mail integrates with the calendar and notes and journals and such, but it is slower than hell and a real B*tch to find something intuitively.
Also, the last thing I need is for my IM to fire up when I go to check mail. That allows everyone to see that you are “available” when you really aren’t.
I agree with Jimbo. Sometimes combining multiple apps into one is good, like making a multi-service IM app. However, force-fitting things together is not necessarily innovative. I’ve got friends who like to carry a sackful of accessories for their PDA, like plug-on keyboards and such. And they look at ME like I’m some kind of weirdo for suggesting they simply get a laptop — an all-in-one design with more features than they could accessorize, and in a more robust package.
wow cool…
its a m$ version of iChat, 3 years after the fact…
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Instanbul not Constantinople Instanbul not Constantinople Instanbul not Constantinople Instanbul not Constantinople Instanbul not Constantinople Instanbul not Constantinople
There is no need or point for a similar program on OSX as all the sparate apps alreaady integrate well together – with iChat and Mail open for example i can see which of my buddies is online in both apps. If I receive an email from a buddy who is online a green dot indicates this in Mail and I can video or voice chat immeiately if I wish.
As usual M$ opts for the closed all in one solution wheras Apple’s hub approach, with separate but interconected apps is much better.
Istanbul is the new name for Byzantium, a rebrand for something built using ancient architecture.
Kind of appropriate, isn’t it….
What’s the bet this ‘software’ (and I use the term VERY loosley!!) will not have a mac version and will not be compatible with ichatav or AOL!!
I bet $100 itunes gift certificate that this is what’s gonna happen!
Wait a minute! Did MDN just agree with the Vole?
If Apple develops it, it should be called Constantinople. “So if you’ve a date in Constantinople, she’ll be waiting in Istanbul.”
Let’s get this out of the way first: I’m a Mac user and I love the platform….
You people are ridiculous! Listen to your bitter illogical selves. The technology that M$ is proposing is very cool… instead of thinking different and appreciating innovative ideas, you trash it because it’s from a company you don’t like. If Steve Jobs presented this during a Mac Expo, everyone here would be humbled and speechless by the awesome innovative powers from Apple.
Don’t let you fanatism cloud your judgment
suede-
I don’t think people are bitching about the concept- it does sound kinda neat. But come on, think about it, this is Microsoft. They are notorious for holes, backdoors, open ports, etc, etc, that are the root of just about all their problems and the reason why they are exploited so easily. This is a train wreck waiting to happen. They are trying to combine so many communication-type services into one that if one of them is breeched (which it will be), kiss all your personal info good-bye. I personally do not trust Microsoft with ANY data. They do too much sneaky shit without you knowing it. It’s like their “call home” feature in the new Office for Mac. Report a bug? yeah, right, I’m sure that’s all they are collecting.
suedejacket:
Honestly, can you name the last time microsoft made something “Cool”? The concept is neat, but I really don’t think that MS will pull something together that will make me want to run out and buy it (or wish they would port it to Mac).
On the other hand, if Steve did say he was doing the same thing, I propably would be intrigued for the simple fact that I know it would be a well thought out app.
This is scary, Microsoft truly is the BEAST as described in the Bible, requiring a mark on everyone’s head or hand in order to buy or sell.
Look at COX, they got the cable, the high speed internet, voice over IP for phone, even their own news and weather channel.
They pale in the face of Microsoft.
EVIL! THEY ARE!!!
Yeah.. we at MDN were talking about this a long time ago.. essentially Apple could bundle its software.. ProductionSuite, iLife and some iComm communications package.
But this isn’t a bundle.. this is MS taking Entourage/Outlook to a new level.
Oops.. i think i just let the cat out of the bag. Outlook IS the swiss army knife..
I find it hilarious that MS thinks WMP was a good idea. ‘Yeah lets take the beauty and elegance of WMP and apply it to email and IM’ Pfffft..