Microsoft has announced Windows Azure as the name for their upcoming Cloud services platform.They have also released the Azure SDK which plugs in nicely with Visual Studio 2008 and lets you debug locally. From watching the demos on the Azure site it looks like a pretty neat setup, much like the Google and amazon offerings that have popped up recently. The main difference with Azure is that it can run your regular .net code out of the box.

One thing that's not mentioned anywhere yet is the pricing for this setup. Microsoft will host your application on their servers so you will have to pay them something but I have a feeling that this could launch for free up to a certain amount of bandwidth like Google's setup. Time will tell. I've signed up for a beta pass and will post more if I get an invite.

One complaint I have is that the main Azure website left a lot to be desired! I know, it's all about the tech but guys come on! That front page with pictures of space, what looks like an oil rig and a lone programmer are very dodgy. Azure sounds sexy and exciting, there should be cool images of sample apps showing possible uses for the tech or something.