intelligence

Microsoft buys into master data management

Microsoft on Thursday said it has acquired privately held Stratature, a company that specializes in so-called master data management software.

Through the acquisition of the Alpharetta, Ga.-based company, Microsoft will build master data management tools into its Office System line. The move complements the company's strategy to bulk up the business intelligence tools in Office and SQL Server.

Master data management describes a way to store information according to certain attributes so it's easier to retrieve and work with. For example, information from various sources can be aggregated relating to customer, product or partner.

The idea is … Read more

Microsoft to acquire OfficeWriter

Since posting this, we learned that SoftArtisans no longer offers the OfficeWriter for Java product. Office Writer is an ASP/ASP.NET reporting tool currently only available for Windows.

Microsoft plans to acquire OfficeWriter, a business intelligence tool produced by SoftArtisans, the company said Wednesday.

Jeff Raikes, president of the Microsoft Business Division, is scheduled to make the announcement at the first Microsoft Business Intelligence Conference opening Wednesday in Seattle.

OfficeWriter is a ASP/ASP.NET reporting tool that enables people to generate Microsoft Office documents from any data source through a Web browser. It can manage reports from within … Read more

Smart scale tells how buffed you are

We generally try very hard not to think about exercise equipment when not at the gym (or even when we are at the gym, actually). But this is one fitness item that may be impossible for us to ignore.

If you've ever wondered what, exactly, your workout routine was doing for specific parts of your body, this intelligent scale from Tanita might interest you too. Far more than just indicate poundage, the new BC-545 model delivers "individual body composition readings for five body segments (each arm, each leg and the trunk area)," according to Gizmag. To get … Read more

Robotic cubes reunite on their own

We'll be dating ourselves again by mentioning this, but this item is kind of a 21st century version of those black and white scotty dog magnets we remember from our childhood. Only the "SuperBot" modules can think for themselves and find each other on their own.

Gadget Lab says these interlinking robotic cubes use artificial intelligence to "flip and stagger their way back together when parted" (see the YouTube clip below). Once reassembled, they can take a caterpillar-like form and continue on their merry way, or they can be combined to form a new kind … Read more

2007 Infiniti FX45 first look

There are loads of interior tech features on the Infiniti FX45 that just got delivered to the CNET Car Tech garage. The space-age crossover SUV comes with the same navigation system that we saw in the 2007 Infinti M35 Sport (although without the latter's amazing voice-command interface). It also has Bluetooth hands-free calling and a rear-seat entertainment system complete with wireless headphones and a dedicated remote control.

However, the two most impressive tech features for me have to do with good old freeway driving. As part of its $4,200 Technology Package, the FX45 comes with Intelligent Cruise Control … Read more

An oven fit for an astronaut

The age of the digital kitchen has arrived. Not only are "smart" appliances finally making their way into homes (and not just Tomorrowland exhibits at Disneyland), but they're multitasking as well.

Take, for example, the "Intelligent Oven" by TMIO: It can refrigerate and cook in the same space, which can be controlled over the Internet or cell phone. And lest you think all this is some cheap parlor trick, Gizmodo says the uber-oven employs "NASA-based command and control engineering," as well as "green" technologies developed by the space agency. If you'… Read more

Security woes put mobile adoption on hold

More than 60 percent of companies worldwide are holding off on wireless and remote computing because of security concerns, according to a survey by the Economist Intelligence Unit published on Tuesday.

The survey of about 240 executives was sponsored by Symantec, which just happens to sell products that could relief such security concerns.

The researchers also asked how many companies actually use software to secure mobile data. In Western Europe 55 percent said they did, compared to 44 percent in Asia-Pacific and just 36 percent in North America, according to the survey.

Nearly half of all respondents said security products … Read more