Channelnomics

Sites such as Windows SuperSite and Neowin.net report that Microsoft is planning to release a docking station for the Surface Pro and Surface Pro 2 tablets. Sources indicate that the new tablet add-on is most likely going to be released on or sometime around October 18, 2013, the date when Windows 8.1 would become generally available and the projected launch schedule of the next-generation Surface, including the Surface Pro 2 powered by NAVIDIA and Intel Haswell chips.

Cisco announces that it is acquiring SolveDirect, a services management platform provider based in Vienna, Austria. The privately held technology firm offers cloud services management integration services and software. Once the acquisition is completed, the Vienna-based company will be placed under the Cisco Services Platforms Group.

Infonetics Research released a report assessing the performance of the video conferencing market in 2012 and the future of the enterprise video sector. What is labeled by Channelnomics' Doug Woodburn as a horrible year for video conferencing is deemed an "aberration" by an analyst from Infonetics Research. The market for video conferencing is expected to be "gearing up for comeback."

Yang Yuanqing, CEO of Lenovo, hinted in an interview with Les Echos, a French newspaper, that a possible deal with smartphone manufacturer BlackBerry could make sense given the right financial and market climate. Yang's statement prompted an increase in BlackBerry's share price.

ADTRAN, Inc., in a move to enable and grow its low-tier channel partners, scrapped the barriers in its partner program and increased the rewards for its roster of agents and resellers.

By eliminating partner hurdles and boosting rewards, the Huntsville, Alabama-based company could make its partner base, with a current stronghold of around 3,600 partners, much friendlier than before. Moreover, the equipment and tools would become more attainable should partners need them.

The UCStrategies news story on February 7 indicated one of the key findings of a study by Cisco Systems, Inc. regarding the eventual surge of mobile traffic in the form of video.