Microsoft boss Steve Ballmer has confirmed that the company’s upcoming Office package, codenamed 14, won’t land in 2009.

He told Wall Street analysts at Redmond’s annual “Strategic Update” briefing today that the Office suite “will not be [shipped] this year.”

Just last month Microsoft spun out an Alpha version of the server products that will eventually be folded into Office 14 to a select bunch of customers.

However, Microsoft declined to disclose information about when it expected a beta version would arrive.

If CDs really are on their way out, Sony is ready with their replacement: Blu-spec CDs.

Although details about the new format, launched in Japan in November, are somewhat scant, we do know that users won’t need a new player for Blu-spec CDs.

“The Blu-spec CD format boasts a new approach to the faithful reproduction of music by utilizing the leading-edge blue laser diode technologies optimized for the manufacturing of Blu-ray,” according to CDJapan. The new discs’ polycarbonate plastic, optimized for Blu-ray discs, is used “to ensure accurate reading of the data.”

Sony doesn’t claim that the Blu-spec CD sounds any better than a CD or how the new discs compare with Sony’s previous and nearly dead super-CD format, Super Audio CD (SACD).

Google on Tuesday released a new version if its software toolbar for Internet Explorer. Included is a feature carried over from the company’s desktop search product–a search box that runs whether or not you have your browser open. This special box sits next to the Start button on your taskbar, and lets you search the Web, your browser bookmarks, and any files and applications you have on your PC.

In a blog post, the company said this release is an attempt to put the focus back on search. More importantly, it’s getting people to start a Google search whether or not they’ve got their browser open–giving the company more chances to serve up ads. Part of that is already apparent, as users get sponsored results through desktop searches, just like they would when searching from Google.com.

Other new features include the recently visited pages and bookmarks start page that first shipped with Chrome, then came to Firefox with its latest Google toolbar release. Google has also added its synchronization service, which will let you access your same Google bookmarks and autofill form information from multiple computers.

Advanced Micro Devices will announce Wednesday that its first six-core processor in on track to launch later this year.

AMD’s “Istanbul” processor will be targeted at server computers. With the release, AMD will be playing catch up to Intel, which began offering its six-core “Dunnington” processor for servers last fall. Intel’s first Nehalem-architecture server processor is also due soon, which, on a per-core basis, is expected to offer better performance than Dunnington.

“The silicon is healthy and we’re targeting a launch in 2H09,” AMD spokesperson Jake Whitman said Tuesday.

“The new 6-core version of the AMD Opteron processor is…everything we had hoped for–and more,” John Fruehe, director of business development for server/workstation products at AMD, wrote in a blog.

The “socket 1207″ platform and six-core Direct Connect architecture will allow servers with 12, 24 or 48 cores per server in the future, Fruehe said.

Google Inc. is making amends for an e-mail outage by giving 15 days of free service to businesses, government agencies and other subscribers who pay for an expanded version of the product.

The concession is meant to placate customers who were cut off from their e-mail accounts Tuesday for as long as four hours. The outage began at 9:30 a.m. Greenwich Mean Time, causing more inconvenience in Europe and Asia than in the United States.