5 Vendors That Came To Win This Week

Apple Launches iPhone 4

Okay, so it was hardly a surprise, but Apple's launch of the fourth-generation iPhone this week still managed to impress. Apple CEO Steve Jobs called the device "the biggest leap since the first iPhone" and no one even attributed it to the reality distortion field.

In addition to a thinner, sleeker design, Apple has dramatically improved the iPhone's display and added its ARM-based A4 processor, which also powers the iPad. The device now includes a front-facing camera for video chatting, and battery life has been upgraded too. The new iPhone isn't coming out until June 24 but Apple Stores are already girding for long lines and circling new media helicopters.

Motorola Says 2 GHz Android Device On The Way

Of course it was an attempt to steal some of the buzz from the new iPhone. But Motorola CEO Sanjay Jha's confirmation that a 2 GHz Android smartphone is forthcoming shows that the handset maker still sees itself as relevant in the mobile market despite recent evidence to the contrary.

Such a device would contain twice the processing power of HTC and Sprint's EVO 4G, which currently holds the title of most talked-about iPhone challenger. For an Android developer, that's enough to make your head spin all the way around, like in The Excorcist, but in a happy way.

Brocade Cuts Through Cloud, Virtualization Hype

Brocade this week unveiled Brocade One, its new data center strategy for competing more directly with Cisco's Unified Computing System and Juniper's forthcoming Project Stratus. Brocade's view is that competitors aren't doing enough to simplify cloud and virtualization architecture.

By cutting through the hype with new converged fabric products, channel partner specializations, and new support and consulting services, Brocade is hoping customers will see the benefits in converging data center operations onto the network.

NetApp Program Connects VARs, Service Providers

NetApp's channel propelled the company to solid earnings last quarter, and this week the storage vendor rolled out its new NetApp Partner Program for Service Providers. NetApp isn't going to compete with VARs by selling its own storage-as-a-service offering, so this program is designed to make the necessary connections between the channel and service provider partner base to get the right kind of synergies happening.

Adobe Fixes Flash In 10.1 Update

Adobe has taking fire from Apple over Flash, but the company deserves credit for moving quickly to address a zero-day bug in Flash Player that was reportedly being used in drive-by attacks, in which users get served up a bundle of malware just by visiting an infected Website.

In fast tracking the release of the Flash Player 10.1 update and addressing the security issues, Adobe has also cut the software's power consumption, which has been a target for critics. Of course, Adobe had no choice but to address the security flaws in Flash that arose this week, but it did so without the hemming and hawing that sometimes accompanies these sorts of discoveries.

Check out our roundup of vendors that dropped the ball for a look at the companies that were asleep at the wheel this week.