Adobe, the makers of such beloved software as Photoshop, is announcing their latest bundle of artistic software today: Creative Suite 6. While it will feature new tools and improvements over the older versions, the biggest news is that the software will now be available on a subscription basis and feature cloud storage, synching, and editing options.

Announced way, way back with Lion, iTunes Match is the capability that iTunes has been missing for years. With Match, users have the music stored on their computers in iTunes “matched” with tracks on Apple’s servers. For the tracks Apple can’t “match,” they’ll upload and store a copy of the song for free. Once “matched,” users can download a copy of the song to any authorized computer or device. All this comes at a cost, albeit a quite reasonable $25.00 per year.

Apple would definitely have something to gain by restricting access to cloud services like Amazon’s and Google’s if they wanted to keep their massive user base on iTunes. But just because they have something to gain doesn’t mean they’d do that, right? James Clancey of Interactive Innovative Solutions (IIS), has been having some issues with a few apps that seem to suggest they might just be doing exactly that.

IIS had two apps that ventured into this territory, and at the moment, they only have one. The apps, gMusic and aMusic, let you listen to music stored on Google Music Beta and Amazon Cloud Drive, respectively. Available for $2 a pop, it was a pretty good cost proposition. The issue is that now, aMusic has mysteriously disappeared from the app store and gMusic is dealing with an inexplicably delayed app update, according to Clancey.

Though Microsoft’s Azure cloud platform is just over a year and a half old, it has already snatched the title of fastest cloud platform from competitors like Amazon and Google. The title was bestowed upon Azure by an independent review of cloud services carried out by Compuware, and involved comparing loading times for a two-page website on each of the services.

Azure took the top spot at 6.07ms, followed by the Google App Engine which lagged a half a second longer. Amazon’s cloud platform brought up the rear with 7.20ms for sites hosted on the East Coast and 8.11ms for sites hosted further West. This is significant for Microsoft, since Windows 8 has key functions that depend on Azure. Fast response times could mean a better Windows 8, and it’s a feather in the cap for Azure as they try to lure more developers over to their service. With Amazon’s spot of trouble with the service earlier in the year, the promise of fast speeds could prove too tempting to pass up.

Omnipresent brick-and-mortar retail chain Walmart has just launched a video streaming service on its website. The service is powered by Vudu, a digital video company that Walmart acquired over a year ago. Unlike Netflix, Vudu is not a subscription service and instead charges users for individual streaming rentals or purchases. Prices range from $1-$5.99 for rentals, with purchases starting at $4.99.

Though Vudu has been around for a while, its launch directly on Walmart’s website opens a new chapter for the service. It is also the surest signal that Walmart, a juggernaut DVD retailer, wants a piece of the streaming video pie. It’s possible that the company might not see optical media like DVDs and Blu-rays as the sure bet they once were, and is seeking to diversify its stock.

Less than a year ago, Microsoft announced that it would be rolling out Office 365, a suite of cloud-based word processing, presentation, spreadsheet, and office tools. Today, Office 365 is now live and ready for customers. The subscription-based service will provide:

• An installed copy of Office Professional Plus for some plans.
• Exchange Online, which supplies email, calendar, 25gb of online storage space for mail, and address book functions.
• SharePoint, which supports online collaboration and document sharing.
• Lync Online, which allows for web-based meetings with instant messaging and video conferencing.
• Office WebApps, for online editing and document creation for Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint, and Microsoft OneNote