MS previews Silverlight 4

Microsoft has introduced added features to Silverlight 4, the next version of its rich Internet application platform, and plans to release Internet Information Services (IIS) Media Services 3.0, which enables delivery of interactive live smooth streaming, reports eWeek.

At the International Broadcasting Conference, which runs from 11 to 15 September in Amsterdam, Microsoft will preview the latest media feature developments in Microsoft Silverlight 4, including native multicast support and support for offline digital rights management, powered by Microsoft PlayReady technology.

In addition, the company released its IIS smooth streaming transport protocol and protected interoperable file format specification under the Microsoft Community Promise, helping to ensure openness and industry interoperability, company officials said.

Lenovo has unveiled two Xeon single processor servers aimed at the small and medium sized enterprise (SME) market, states Computing.co.uk.

The TS200 tower and RS210 rack servers use Xeon 3400 processors and incorporate DDR33 and 32G of RDIMM memory to boost performance and reduce power requirements. Lenovo claims the servers are the most power-efficient the company has yet produced.

Lenovo's strategy over DDR3 contrasts with that of AMD servers, since the alternative chip manufacturer is holding off on switching to DDR3 until the cost comes down and its use becomes more widespread.

Skysoft Systems has introduced inForm 2.0, a software product which allows organisations to create wireless forms, databases, surveys and applications for all BlackBerry smartphones from Research in Motion, says TMCnet.

"We're really happy to offer a low-cost alternative in this space,” said Kevin Mills, director of operations at Skysoft, in a release. “While our competitors charge monthly service fees or push expensive server middleware on their customers, inForm is available for a low one-time cost per device.”

Officials at the company claim that apps can be created using a simple Microsoft Windows PC-based editor and then plugged in to any number of devices.