Intel has formed a partnership with top Internet software makers to create a standard set of Web tools for office workers to share information with colleagues, the companies said on Tuesday.
The world's biggest computer chip maker said it is aiming to take the excitement of
Internet sites like Wikipedia, MySpace and YouTube into the business world.
Intel is working with makers of commercial blogs, wikis and syndicated news feeds
to create SuiteTwo, a complete package of "Web 2.0" business work group
collaboration tools.
Web 2.0 is the term Internet industry insiders use to describe software that makes
it easier for users to publish and share information among themselves, in contrast
to more passive ways of using the Web that earlier software tools encouraged.
The Intel partnership offers small businesses and work groups inside larger
companies "Web 2.0 in a box," by improving on internal and external communication
systems.
SuiteTwo is set to be released early in 2007, said Lisa Lampert, managing director
of Intel Capital's Software and Solutions Group.
Intel's partners include Six Apart, a maker of blog publishing software,
Socialtext, a provider of a form of group blogging software known as wikis, and
NewsGator and SimpleFeed, providers of instantly updated news feeds. SpikeSource
packages the software and provides technical support.
Socialtext said SuiteTwo will cost a business $175 to $200 a year per user, or
about $15 to $17 per month.
Intel Capital, the venture capital arm of the semiconductor maker, assembled the
group.
The SuiteTwo announcement was made in San Francisco at the opening day of the Web
2.0 Conference, an annual event that attracts the Internet industry's biggest
movers and shakers to debate the future of Web trends.
Intel plans to make SuiteTwo available to its worldwide network of personal
computer makers, and computer and software resellers for distribution.
The package will be resold not just by PC makers like Dell and NEC but also the
world's biggest technology resellers, like Ingram Micro and Tech Data. The company
said it will be optimized to run on Intel-based computers, in a competitive swipe
at rival computer processor maker AMD.
Initially, the software suite will be offered in English and Japanese languages.
Future releases will include tools for podcasting, business networking, staying
connected wirelessly and other features, the companies said.
More details can be found at
http://www.suitetwo.com/.