Salesforce unveils Winter 07 edition

Salesforce.com showcased the forthcoming Winter 07 release of its hosted offering today during a keynote address by chairman and chief executive Marc Benioff at the the Dreamforce 06 convention in San Francisco. 

Along with the previously announced 'mashup' features, the latest version will incorporate Web 2.0 technologies such as Ajax. 

Among the new Web 2.0 features in Winter 07 is an Ajax-powered interface that allows users to switch between different screens and tabs without having to wait for the page to refresh.

"We think this is going to dramatically improve the usability and the experience for our users," said George Hu, chief marketing officer at Salesforce.

The firm will also include a new 'call-centre edition' in Winter 07 which will work with most major telephony systems.

The software lets operators automatically view customer information on such things as product versions and support history as they are speaking with the customer.

Salesforce has also added a 'partner' edition to its software that lets businesses provide custom portals and sales-tracking for partners such as retailers or resellers.

Winter 07 will include support for Lotus Notes, allowing users to integrate email and contact data with Salesforce software. Current Salesforce versions only integrate Microsoft Outlook.

Benioff showcased automated pop-up reminders and a new calendar, along with a feature that integrates Google Adwords to automate the posting of Google ads and follow which clicks actually lead to purchases.

Winter '07 is scheduled for release by the fourth quarter of this year.

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