ReadWriteWeb

Automated translation services seem to be getting more and more traction these days. Today, we saw announcements about new translation related products from both Microsoft and telephony service JahJah. Microsoft announced that it will be giving its users a free update that will integrate Windows Live Translator into MS Office 2003 and 2007, while JaJah is now offering free voice translations from Mandarin into English through JaJah Babel.

According to Andrew Fogg from kusiri, Google will start rolling out offline support for both Gmail and Google Calendar through Google Gears within the next six weeks. Google enabled offline access to Google Docs earlier this year, after they had already been using if for Google Reader for over a year. Fogg also found out that Google will start supporting SyncML for synchronizing contacts in Gmail around the same time.

Microsoft today announced that it will release an all-in-one software subscription package that includes Live OneCare and Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007. Microsoft Equipt, formerly known as 'Albany,' will be sold in Circuit City stores starting mid-July. The subscription price for Equipt is set at $69.99 per year. Microsoft's regular price for buying Office Home and Student 2007 is around $150.

A few weeks ago we wrote about a rumored Microsoft Office Live product codenamed "Albany" that was supposedly entering a private beta and wondered if this could be their latest jab at Google Docs. According to various reports Albany was anything from an online version of Microsoft's Works suite to a discounted software bundle of various Office and Live components. Yesterday we spoke with Bryson Gordon, the Group Product Manager for Microsoft's Office Consumer and Small Business Team to get the facts about Albany and set the record straight.