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Microsoft and Yahoo Instant Messenger Deal
According to John Stith of WebProNews: "Microsoft and Yahoo broke new ground yesterday when they announced their respective instant messaging services would be compatible. The deal for interoperability shows a new and concerted effort by Microsoft to get along with its competitors."
Now, I'm not a Microsoft fan but this deal does send some rather strong vibes. To me, as an IM junkie, this means that where I had to be logged in with both messengers at the same time in order to keep up with friends and family (who for no particular reasons detested one messenger and loved the other), I may now be able to get by with being signed in to just one! This just doesn't have to stop there. With Microsoft reportedly in talks with Time Warner for a sizeable chunk of the AOL brand, maybe it can persuade AOL to do the same with AIM, then where do we see the recently launched Google Talk?
If such a deal comes to pass and the MSN messenger and AIM (AOL Instant Messenger) become compatible as well, that could mean bringing almost 90% of the IM users together (Yahoo, MSN, AIM).
Now this isn't the first time that Redmond has maneuvered to try and kill competition, but it most definitely is the first time it is planning to do so with the help of competitors.
Don't get me wrong though, I'm not saying that simply this one deal can rock the foundations of Googleplex. It may mean a significant increase in revenue for both Yahoo and MSN, BUT, if Microsoft gets AOL (and things do seem in their favour), it could seriously give Google a run for its money with regards to market share and advertising revenue.
On the other hand, it looks like Google is ready for anything Microsoft dishes out (or is preparing to be). The recent announcements, about the SUN / Google deal, the Nasa / MIT / Google plan; "Laptop per child", not to mention the rumours of "GoogleNet", an ad supported free wi-fi network make it seem like Google is aiming for world domination.
Who emerges on top, specially in the wake of Redmond's "competitor shmoozing", only time will tell.
About the Author: Nadia Iqbal is an editor at Article Street. For quality articles for use on your websites and ezine, visit http://www.ArticleStreet.com . Nadia also writes for Times of Pakistan.
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