Cobalt Microserver Inc (http://www.cobaltmicro.com/), the company which won the hearts of geeks by packaging its thin server technology in a blue cubic case, is poised to announce two new products. Cobalt itself isn’t talking, saying details haven’t been finalized, but Internet Week has leaked details of both new releases. They are the RaQ and the CacheQube. The RaQ is a rack-mounted version of the blue Qube with new, ISP- friendly features like support for the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP). Just as its name suggests, the CacheQube is a specialized server for caching web pages. The CacheQube will be sold in both rack-mounted and blue box configurations. Expect pricing details for both products within the next two weeks. What the company will say is that it has expanded its global presence and announced a lease program on the basic Qube. The latter is designed for customers who want fixed monthly payments, such as internet service providers who suffer a regular cash-flow crunch. The deal is arranged through Granite Financial Services, so Cobalt itself isn’t risking much either – a happy solution for the startup. The lease is priced from $30 per month. Meanwhile the company, which is already active in Australia, Singapore and Japan, has established European beachheads in the Netherlands, under VP of International Sales George Korchinsky, and in Frankfurt, Germany, under former Cisco Systems executive Guenter Kraft. For Kraft to relinquish his harder-than-hard- currency Cisco options, Cobalt has to be doing something right.
