Two huge technology companies are stepping up for their pieces of the Web conferencing pie, as Microsoft and Sony Electronics both recently upped their offerings in this sector. The big tech companies' investments in Web conferencing represent the widespread belief in the technology community that online collaboration is a high-growth market, and that Web-based meetings are here to stay. In March, Microsoft announced a new set of applications designed to improve virtual meetings by integrating communications through Web conferencing, instant messaging, e-mail, and traditional and Web-based telephony. In a Web conference, company chairman Bill Gates said that real-time collaboration is "one of the big frontiers that (Microsoft) Office is moving ahead on." Most significant for meeting planners, Microsoft has upgraded its web-conferencing application, Live Meeting, which can accommodate meetings with hundreds of virtual attendees but is primarily used for groups of 20 or fewer people.Meanwhile, Sony in April announced the U.S. launch of its new IPELA line of Internet-based communications products, including new videoconferencing systems. The first products to be labeled IPELA include the PCS-G70 large-room videoconferencing system and the PCS-TL50 desktop videoconferencing system. Sony has committed $10 million to marketing the products, and will be taking the new hardware to key trade shows over the summer and fall.