Can Android pose a threat to Microsoft in netbook market

So far Microsoft has been the only choice of platform for netbooks leaving aside . However vendors like Acer are abooks on Android platform and others such as Asus are liklely to follow. Freescale has also announced its support for Android and other open source platforms for its ARM base netbooks. It needs to be seen how android competes with microsoft in this market. As of now, android is a novice in the real software business as opposed to web based businesses, given the omnipresence of microsoft eco-system. The support from other software vendors would be a key to the success of android. Google has been working with a lot of software companies to garner support Adobe for its abobe flash is one.

One major challage for google would be to manage different branched developments for its android platform.

Other challenge is from the usablity perspective of netbooks; it is doubtful that netbooks would be used as a stand alone device, rather these would form part of user's existing PC enviornment which might include, desktop or notebook PC, the ease with which these android based devices would synchronize with user's existing PC enviornemt would also determine its success. Moreover, netbooks which were percieved as a internet devices ayear ago, now
offer much enhanced functionalities.
One factor in support of android could be the low cost value proposition which the device manufacturers can put forward to customers using android. This value proposition may have an additive effect with ARM based processors for netbooks.

Energy Star Rating for Servers

US Environmental Protection Agency launched much awaited Energy Star program for enterprise servers. Energy star rating would act as a yardstick with the customer to optimize energy efficiency of their server enviornment. The EPA introduced the Energy Star program in 1992 as a voluntary program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through energy efficiency. It's now found on monitors, computers, TVs, DVD players, on up to whole buildings.
The energy start certification would provide impetus to the green data center movement.More than two years in development, the new certification sets the qualifications for servers as being considered energy-efficient and environmentally friendly.Energy Star for Servers will measure three main categories of performance, including managing power supply performance, functioning in a virtualized environment, and energy benchmarks for measuring and reporting server energy use.
Hewelett-Packard (HP) is the first server vendor to have an Energy Star certification for for Enterprise Servers. In the first week of June 2009, HP the ProLiant DL360 G6 1U model and three configurations of the DL360 G6 2U model get the star.
The EPA is also developing specifications for storage array energy-usage. EPA would announce more details on the storage specification development process in the coming weeks.
EPA also plans to develop an Energy Star rating for data centers.