REDMOND, Wash., and SEATTLE, Oct. 7, 2003 — Microsoft Corp. and Amazon.com Inc. today announced a joint development project that leverages Amazon Web Services ( http://www.amazon.com/webservices/ ) and the Extensible Markup Language (XML) capabilities of Microsoft®
Office System programs to provide users with access to Amazon.com products and data while working in Microsoft productivity applications. The solution, called Amazon.com Research Services for Microsoft Office System, will be available for download in the Office Marketplace ( http://www.office.microsoft.com/marketplace/ ) at no additional charge later this fall.
By integrating Amazon Web Services, Amazon.com Research Services for Microsoft Office System will provide Microsoft Office System users with convenient and seamless access to Amazon.com from within Microsoft productivity applications via the Research Task Pane. Users will be able to access Amazon.com information and make purchases without launching a browser or leaving their document, e-mail message or presentation. For example, a customer reading a bibliography in a Word document could easily click on a book title and purchase it from within the Research Task Pane without having to leave the Word document. Alternatively, a user will be able to add a footnote, bibliography entry and even cover art for books without needing to manually enter the information into a document.
The Research Task Pane, a feature in the Microsoft Office 2003 Edition desktop applications (Word, Excel, the Outlook® messaging and collaboration client, the PowerPoint® presentation graphics program and Access) and in Microsoft Office System products OneNote (TM) note-taking program, Publisher and Visio®
drawing and diagramming software, uses industry-standard XML to enable users to retrieve and navigate relevant internal or external Web-based information, all from within Office programs.
“Amazon.com is breaking new ground in its use of XML-enabled Web Services that connect data from disparate systems, allow greater access to content, and create a more valuable experience for Web users,” said Gytis Barzdukas, director of Office Product Management at Microsoft. “By using the advancements of the Microsoft Office System, Microsoft and Amazon.com are transforming the desktop into a dynamic interface for Office customers everywhere.”
“We are excited to help make this new service available to our customers,” said Jeff Barr, Web services technical program manager at Amazon.com. “This Microsoft Office System solution adds significant convenience for our Microsoft users and Amazon.com customers in finding and discovering products. We look forward to receiving feedback from users and to adding more features in the future.”
Amazon Web Services enable third parties to leverage the Amazon.com platform by creating rich and innovative applications for merchandising products and data from Amazon.com, and for managing product listings on Amazon.com Marketplace. The Amazon Web Services Software Developer’s Kit is available free of charge at http://www.amazon.com/webservices/. Since July 2002, more than 35,000 people have downloaded the kit and developed numerous applications.
Microsoft technology partners interested in developing similar Microsoft solutions should contact their local Microsoft ISV developer evangelist. Additional information is available at http://members.microsoft.com/partner/worldwide/default.aspx .
About the Microsoft Office System
The Microsoft Office System is an easy way to help more people use information to positively impact their business. Through a system of familiar and easy-to-use programs, servers, services and solutions, users can connect people and organizations to information, business processes and each other — helping ensure that they derive the most value out of information. The Microsoft Office System consists of the 2003 editions of Microsoft Office, Microsoft Office SharePoint Portal Server 2003, Microsoft Office Project and Project Server 2003, Microsoft Exchange Server 2003, Microsoft Office Live Communications Server 2003, Microsoft Office Live Meeting, Microsoft Office FrontPage 2003, Microsoft Office InfoPath 2003, Microsoft Office OneNote 2003, Microsoft Office Publisher 2003, Microsoft Office Visio 2003 and the Microsoft Office Solution Accelerators. Enabling technologies, such as Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services and Microsoft Windows Server (TM) 2003, enhance the features and functionality of products in the Microsoft Office System.
About Amazon.com
Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN), a Fortune 500 company based in Seattle, opened on the World Wide Web in July 1995 and today offers Earth’s Biggest Selection. Amazon.com seeks to be Earth’s most customer-centric company, where customers can find and discover anything they might want to buy online, and endeavors to offer its customers the lowest possible prices. Amazon.com and other sellers list millions of unique new and used items in categories such as apparel and accessories, electronics, computers, kitchenware and housewares, books, music, DVDs, videos, cameras and photo items, toys, baby items and baby registry, software, computer and video games, cell phones and service, tools and hardware, magazine subscriptions and outdoor living items. Amazon.com operates six Web sites: http://www.amazon.com/ , http://www.amazon.co.uk/ , http://www.amazon.de/ , http://www.amazon.fr/ , http://www.amazon.co.jp/ and http://www.amazon.ca/ .
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and Internet technologies for personal and business computing. The company offers a wide range of products and services designed to empower people through great software — any time, any place and on any device.
This announcement contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Actual results may differ significantly from management’s expectations. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that include, among others, risks related to potential future losses, significant amount of indebtedness, competition, commercial agreements and strategic alliances, seasonality, potential fluctuations in operating results and rate of growth, foreign exchange rates, management of potential growth, system interruption, international expansion, consumer trends, inventory, fulfillment center optimization, limited operating history, government regulation and taxation, fraud, and new business areas. More information about factors that potentially could affect Amazon.com’s financial results is included in Amazon.com’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended Dec. 31, 2002, and all subsequent filings.
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