Azure gets launch date, new services

摘要

Microsoft corp. is hoping to attract developers to its Windows Azure cloud computing platform after it unveiled a pair of new services that will give app makers easy access to popular datasets and a new hosted online marketplace. In addition, the company also announced that Azure, a hosted platform that gives users the ability to roll out apps on-demand from Microsoft's cloud, would officially go into production on Jan. 1.rnThe announcements were made at Microsoft's Professional Developers Conference in Los Angeles.rnUnlike IBM Corp., which earlier revealed its intention to start helping customers more easily build private clouds,rnMicrosoft is targeting its cloud computing rivals, such as Sales-force.com, a little differently.