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Live from New York: It's the Ballmer-Chambers show

Microsoft and Cisco are both partners and competitors. But they aren't going to let a little competition get in the way of doing what's right for customers. Yawn. Heard that before. And we're all about to hear it again on Monday during a CEO dog-and-pony show with Microsoft's Steve Ballmer and Cisco's John Chambers.
Written by Mary Jo Foley, Senior Contributing Editor

Microsoft and Cisco are both partners and competitors. But they aren't going to let a little competition get in the way of doing what's right for customers.

Yawn. Heard that before. And we're all about to hear it again, when Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer and Cisco CEO John Chambers appearing at a joint press event in New York (with Charlie Rose hosting) on August 20.

I'm sure there will be lots of talk about the "I" (interoperability) word. And unified communications -- the grand convergence of email, PBX systems, desktop phones, VOIP platforms, Web conferencing systems, faxes and mobile phones

Microsoft is unveiling a couple of news tidbits. It will announce a bunch of new partners -- Intel, Texas Instruments, AudioCodes, Dialogic, LG Nortel are licensing its voice-codec software. (Audio Codec can be used to customize audio conferencing, video and wireless over IP and games offerings, according to the Softies.)

Microsoft still isn't ready to launch officially its Office Communications Server 2007 product, which it released to manufacturing at the end of July. That launch is coming later this fall. Ballmer will discuss availability of a complementary server -- known as "Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 Quality of Experience Monitoring Server" -- which, as its name indicates, is a server for monitoring voice and video quality.

If there's anything else of interest from Monday morning's dog and pony show, I'll blog more from the event.

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