Microsoft announces Internet Explorer 4.0 content partners

Microsoft announced partnerships this week with three companies--AirMedia, BackWeb, and FirstFloor Software--who will provide Internet Explorer 4.0 users with rich, interactive content.

"With Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0, our goal is to build the premier open and standards-based platform for 'Webcasting' Internet information to the desktop," said Brad Chase, vice president of marketing, Internet client and collaboration division at Microsoft. "By working with innovative 'push' technology vendors like AirMedia, BackWeb and FirstFloor, we have taken a significant step toward providing our mutual customers the richest, easiest and most personalized delivery of information."

Microsoft's new partners will offer the following services to IE 4 users:

• AirMedia Live - breaking news, sports, and financial information that continues to be delivered even when computers are offline. Provides a full-time, wireless virtual connection for modem Internet users.
• BackWeb - an easy-to-use client with channel-based subscriptions.
• FirstFloor Software - document delivery and Web page notification, off- line viewing, and agent technology.

Microsoft is pushing IE 4.0 as a single interface to multiple services that previously would have required multiple separate applications. This lets users learn one interface, not several. For content publishers, IE 4.0 is the ultimate development platform, supporting existing technologies like HTML, Java, ActiveX, JavaScript, and VBScript, while also supporting bleeding-edge technologies such as Dynamic HTML, Channel-Definition Format (CDF), and the Active Windows Desktop.

Want more information?
"Webcasting" Platform (Microsoft Press Release)
AirMedia
BackWeb
FirstFloor Software