Arm-Based Servers on the Rise, Microsoft ditching credits and more

By RyanKamauff

Here is the top tech news for the day.

Calxeda, an ARM-based server firm, receives $55M in investment – ARM processors (those used in mobile devices) can be used in servers, creating power efficient rigs that optimize a few different kind of applications. While no single ARM-server vendor is in a position of power yet, I foresee ARM-servers competing against x86 chipsets in the near future for a whole host of applications. Via GigaOM, more here.
Zenoss, an open source IT management and monitoring firm has raised $25M – Zenoss is hoping to bring stronger automated processes to IT monitoring. As continuous monitoring is one of the key IT buzzwords around the beltway, they are sure to be a player to watch. Via TechCrunch, more here.
Backblaze, a cloud storage provider, found themselves squashed in 2011 by the hard-drive crisis, here is their story.
Nook Media has officially spun out of Barnes & Noble – this move is to provide a media source for more than one platform. This company is actually partially owned by Microsoft, whom many believe will be using the capability to provide media to Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8. This service will run up against iTunes, Amazon’s Instant Video (and Appstore) and the Google Play Store. It will be very interesting to see how it fares. Via TechCrunch, more here.
Gizmodo has a horrible story on how both Apple and Google spent more money on legal fees than R&D. Gizmodo is taking this from a New York Times article, that among other things, “that Apple submitted and re-submitted its Siri patent 8 times.” Which is apparently a tactic to force a patent approval through sheer persistence (and aggravation). Both articles are worth a read so check it out at Gizmodo, here, and the NYT, here.
Twitter is allegedly planning a video hosting source – Twitter has been eating up 3rd party access to their service (and “fixing their APIs”), all to control who gets all the data created. They allowed picture uploads directly, and it was a hit, and while it would be safe to assume similar success with video, it’s a much more difficult medium to collect millions and billions of times over. Via The Verge, more here.
Microsoft is ditching “points” for their digital market places, moving into cash only – one of the reasons not to use Microsoft points was the need to purchase not what you needed, but packages. This move should help Microsoft in the future, to sell more and become a stronger marketplace. Via Gizmodo, more here.