Microsoft acquired startup WebFives, which provides web-based file-sharing services for Internet and mobile video, photos, audio, and blogs. Financial terms were not disclosed. Previously named Vizrea, WebFives was founded in mid-2003 by former Microsoft Distinguished Engineer Michael Toutonghi, who announced the acquisition via a personal message posted on the firm's website. According to Toutonghi, Microsoft acquired all rights to WebFives technology, patents pending, trademarks and software--WebFives will continue operating until the end of the year, with Toutonghi notifying users they have until that time to download and copy any content that you may be storing on the company's servers. WebFives' solution enables users to automatically upload multimedia content from mobile devices to the web--related services include a mobile website, widgets and a WebFives media player that may be added to social networking sites.
For more on the Microsoft/WebFives deal:
-read this ITWorld article
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