Microsoft Sends Digital Business Cards

New InterConnect 2004 software automatically updates contact info.

Paul Kallender, IDG News Service

Microsoft's Japanese unit will release on September 10 its InterConnect 2004 software that creates digital business cards that can be sent and received and subsequently updated via e-mail using Outlook 2003.

The software, developed initially for Japanese users only, will take at least some of the drudgery out of keeping tabs on contacts, Microsoft says. If the software is successful, it may be launched in other languages.

Designed to help remove the need to alter telephone numbers, e-mail addresses, and other contact details, the software can update a user's address book whenever contacted by another InterConnect 2004 user, says Tomohiro Inoue, senior product manager of Microsoft's Information Worker Business Group. Inoue demonstrated the software at a company event in Tokyo.

Keep in Touch

Users can create digital business cards using InterConnect and then e-mail them to their contacts. Those receiving the HTML based business cards can add the data contained in them to their Outlook 2003 address book. When users update their data, InterConnect remembers who has been sent the cards and gives users the option of sending out the updated version. Recipients can also choose whether they want to update their address book or ignore the new information.

Anybody receiving a card can see it, provided they have HTML-ready e-mail software. Recipients need to download a free software plug-in for Outlook 2003 called InterConnect Lite or have a full version of InterConnect to import contact information data such as name, telephone, and other contact information. Import is not supported for software other than Outlook 2003.

InterConnect shares the same database with Outlook 2003 for basic contact information fields, such as name, company, phone, and e-mail. Therefore such contact information is displayed in both Outlook 2003 and InterConnect. Some extended fields will be displayed in InterConnect only, says Aki Araki, a Microsoft spokesperson.

At the moment InterConnect works only with the Japanese version of Windows and Office. But non-Japanese digital card receivers can still see the digital card image and the attached InterConnect file with a non-Japanese version of Outlook. In this case they can't import the information.

InterConnect should be of real benefit to time-pressed workers, salesmen, and even job-hunting students where the ritualistic presentation of business cards at first meeting kicks off most business exchanges, according to Inoue.

"Our research shows that an average office worker in Japan might exchange about 16 business cards per month, but sales staff might exchange about 50 and some insurance company workers up to 200 [cards] a month," he says.

Standalone Software

Inoue says that Microsoft is aiming InterConnect 2004 at corporate users initially and that the software will not at first be bundled with Microsoft Office or other suites.

The new software, billed as a "Japan original" by Microsoft Japan president Michael Rawding, is one of a series of innovations the company is plugging to convince more businesses from the enterprise to the home office that Microsoft is focusing on improving efficiency and productivity.

Microsoft will offer an off-the-shelf software pack that costs $108 and a student version for $54. Enterprises need to purchase a license.

If InterConnect 2004 is deemed a success, Microsoft will consider trying to add Chinese or Korean language capability, Inoue says, but declines to disclose sales targets.

"If we are successful in Japan, we'll maybe localize to other languages. Remember, it took seven to eight years for PowerPoint to be successful," he says.

Rawding says InterConnect is just one of a series of innovations Microsoft in Japan plans to come out with. "Our pipeline is pretty full," he says.