Microsoft Unveils .NET Alerts Service
- By Matt Migliore
- 10/09/2001
Microsoft Corp. previewed its .NET Alerts Service this week and announced some big-name companies as early adopters of the notification technology.
Monday CNBC, eBay, MSN Carpoint and MSN Money served as a testing ground for .NET Alerts, each deploying the new service on their respective Web sites as part of the Microsoft preview. In addition, Microsoft revealed more than 20 companies have signed on to use .NET Alerts so far. The list includes such big names as Bank One Corp., eBay, Expedia Inc., NASDAQ.com and VeriSign Inc.
| Where You’ll See .NET Alerts |
Alibre
Bank One Corp.
Centerpost Corp.
Commerce Inc.
CNM Network Inc.
ComponentSource
E*TRADE Corp.
EBay
Expedia Inc.
Groove Networks Inc.
Jessops
Keen Inc.
lastminute.com
McAffe.com Corp.
MSN Carpoint
MSN Calendar
CNBC on MSN Money
NASDAQ.com
Tesco
uBid Inc.
QXL.com
Virgin Entertainment Group
VeriSign Inc.
youknowbest.com Inc. |
.NET Alerts is part of Microsoft’s .NET My Services (formerly Hailstorm) initiative, and Microsoft is describing the service as an early sign of the power of its .NET platform.
"The .NET Alerts Service is an early but tangible example of how Microsoft is delivering on the .NET My Services vision, helping consumers access their information any time, anywhere on any device, and just scratches the surface of the power of Web services," said Christopher Payne, vice president of .NET My Services in a statement.
While Microsoft’s alerts technology isn’t conceptually different than the notification features available as part of most modern-day e-mail clients, it does show how the .NET platform can carry such a service across many devices. Using XML, .NET Alerts can be delivered to range of systems, including cell phones, PDAs and instant messengers. Users can configure the alerts to be received on one or more device based on level of importance and system availability.
.NET Alerts is an opt-in solution that allows the user to determine where, when and how they receive their notifications. The offering runs on the Windows XP operating system and Apple Macintosh, and is compatible with most leading e-mail clients including AOL mail, MSN, Outlook, Lotus Notes and MCI Mail. It works with any device that supports MSN Mobile.
eBay, the only company currently running .NET Alerts in a live environment, is using the service to provide its customers updates on their auction bids. NASDAQ.com, which is working to implement the service, plans to use it to allow users to track stock movements and other market conditions, says John Delta, vice president and general manager of NASDAQ.com.
About the Author
Matt Migliore is regular contributor to ENTmag.com. He focuses particularly on Microsoft .NET and other Web services technologies. Matt was the editor of several technology-related Web publications and electronic newsletters, including Web Services Report, ASP insights and MIDRANGE Systems.