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The InformationWeek April 2007 Archive « March 2007 | Main | May 2007 » |
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E-Gold's Chairman Spoke Out Against Cybercrime, Until He Got Caught
I read with great interest about a Washington, D.C., federal grand jury's decision late last week to indict E Gold Ltd, Gold & Silver Reserve Inc., and the owners of these digital currency businesses on charges of money laundering, conspiracy, and operating an unlicensed money transmitting business. I recently served on a grand jury in Brooklyn, so I know the joke about being able to indict a ham sandwich to be true (the most circumstantial of evidence will get your case sent to trial).
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Sometimes Steve Ballmer Just Takes Your Breath Away
In a USA Today interview Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer is asked if he wishes consumers would get as passionate about Microsoft as they do when Apple comes out with something new. "It's sort of a funny question," he answers. "Would I trade 96% of the market for 4% of the market? I want to have products that appeal to everybody." Steve, I've got one word for you: iPod.
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Transparency Defined: A Look Inside VMware's IPO
VMware's IPO-related filings include a discussion of the competitive threat posed by Microsoft in the virtualization space, a breakout of VMware license revenue versus professional services revenue (guess which is growing more rapidly?), the hiring of a CFO from Amazon, and a decision by many customers to run all of their new apps on VMware software. While the SEC-mandated documents are a tad dry in places, they also provide an unprecedented look at VMware's history, financials, risks, executive compensation levels, and more.
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Google To Launch iGoogle
At a brunch for journalists (where I am typing this), Google today rolled out new personalization applications and features that are scheduled to go live first thing Tuesday morning.
First, the Google Personalized Home Page, previously known as IG because those two characters are at the end of the Personalized Home Page URL (www.google.com/ig), has formally become iGoogle. If you thought Froogle was a poor product name, be thankful Google rejected Yougle, Fusion, and Mockingbird for the renamed service.
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The Maybe Merry Month Of May
This first day of the month of May, popularly known as May Day, can mean different things to different people. For many, it heralds the beginning of spring, when you can finally stop running to weather.com to see if there's yet another late snowstorm coming and can start googling phrases like "weed killer" and "swimsuit sales." For others, especially if they live in some other country, or have certain political views, it means a day when you celebrate workers and, more often than not, protest conditions you see as unfair.
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Intel Hopes The UMPC Will Kill The Smartphone
The PC industry seems confused about the future of mobile computing. Notebooks are a mature device category but other new form factors haven't fared so well. Smartphones represent a strong growing market, but this sector is controlled by the wireless industry, i.e. carriers and handset makers, not traditional PC companies. PC companies have yet to really win in the smartphone arena -- though the iPhone promises to change that. Regardless, Intel is trying to push a new mobile form factor that it hopes can compete with the smartphone. Will their efforts flop?
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Mobile And Wireless Prominent In IBM's Top Five Technology Innovations
Wireless and mobility figure prominently in IBM's "Next Five in Five," a list of the top five technologies that will impact people's lives in the next five years. The results of this study come from IBM's interal research labs and think tank, as well as input from 150,000 people in 104 countries. So what are the top five technologies to look out for?
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Has An Inappropriate Ringtone Ever Embarrassed You?
Raise your hand if you have a specialized ringtone set on your phone. Now raise your hand if you haven't bothered to switch your mobile phone's ringer from the default ringer it came with out of the box. Lastly, raise your hand if you keep your phone on vibrate or silent most of the time. According to the Washington Post, most pols fall into the latter camp in order to avoid creating an international incident.
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Mobile Blogging Plug-In Available For Wordpress Users
To continue fellow blogger Mitch Wagner's discussion on blogging tools, I thought I'd share a bit of news from Wordpress. A new plug-in from Andy Moore, creator of Web2Txt, allows bloggers to create versions of their blogs that will be viewable on mobile phones. It will also allow bloggers to create posts for their blogs directly from their phones.
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Ballmer Takes Another Swipe At Google Apps And The iPhone
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer just can't resist taking shots at the iPhone. Who can blame him, the iPhone has the potential to redefine the entire handset business -- as well as position OS X as a competitor in the mobile OS market.
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Carnival Of Mobilists #70
Break out the balloons and clown shoes, it's carnival time. The Carnival of Mobilists #70 is live at Mobile Opportunity. This edition's topics include RIM's BlackBerry service outage, the future of MVNOs, how to make feature phones better, dumb convergence solutions, and a new wireless carrier in Spain. Check it out.
What's The Best Service For A First-Time Blogger?
My colleague John Foley asked for some advice on starting a personal blog. He wanted to know which software or service to use. I had two recommendations: The TypePad service if he wants to have a blog that's open to anyone, or the Vox service if he wants to control access to the blog.
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Is The Tech Job Market Better? Our Data Says 'Yes'
Taken as a whole, the InformationWeek Salary Survey suggests things have been looking up for the IT job market the past year. Not everyone's going to want to hear that.
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Video Illustrates The Sorry State Of The Customer Service Industry Today
A company called Vocal Laboratories provides video commentary on a six-minute customer service call to Hewlett-Packard. HP treats its customer rudely, like cattle. They waste the customer's time. They make the customer sit through six minutes of silence, hold music, and pointless questions. Then they abruptly hang up on the poor guy without providing any help at all. But the most shocking thing of all is that HP is not unusual in this behavior. It's a typical call by any customer to any company, anywhere, at any time.
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Dear Microsoft: Enough With The Interactive TV
Dear Microsoft,
Thank you for your concern about the lack of interactivity in my television. I realize that your researchers have only my best interests at heart, but please tell them that interactivity isn't necessary. TV is passive entertainment and I'm fine with that. If I want to interact, I'll do so using the computer in my home office, or maybe, if I'm feeling decadent, from my laptop while watching TV.
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It Depends On What The Meaning Of 'IT' Is
My colleague Michael Singer recently posted a compelling item about the work and words of Nick Carr, who burst into prominence four years ago with a Harvard Business Review article called "IT Doesn't Matter" and shortly thereafter a book with the softer title, Does IT Matter? And now Carr is about to release a followup book. I wish Nick much success with his book sales because he's a remarkably gracious and engaging guy, but I still insist that rarely has someone become so successful by being so wrong.
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New Mobile Phones In Japan Use Motion Like Nintendo Wii
A new mobile phone in Japan from wireless carrier NTT DoCoMo has motion sensors. You can even use the phone to play games through movements, just like the Nintendo Wii game console.
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BlackBerry To Offer Service For Windows Mobile: Why Does Anyone Care?
One of the big mobile business stories this week was Research in Motion's announcement of a version of its BlackBerry push e-mail service for Windows Mobile smartphones. This story got a lot of coverage but I have to admit, I don't know why.
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In Search Of Credibility On The Web
At a recent get-together of IT community people on Microsoft's campus, the meeting started with an attempt to define Web 2.0, a term some associated with nothing more than marketing fluff. Talk turned from the medium to the message--to the content being generated by wikis, blogs, feeds, and social nets--then to a question about the people generating it all.
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Businesses Should Ditch Mobile E-mail And Use SMS Instead
That's what Alan Moore, CEO of SMLXL, recommends. His reasoning isn't all that outlandish, either. Turns out, most users of expensive mobile e-mail systems rarely type out messages that are longer than the 160-character limit with SMS. Why are enterprises paying for all that fancy technology if simple text messages would be just as effective?
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Europeans Highly Skeptical About The iPhone
In the very unscientific poll I took while attending the S60 Summit in Madrid this week, most Europeans I spoke with said the iPhone is "worthless without 3G." They are also unconvinced that the touchscreen interface will allow them to send SMS messages quickly. Will the iPhone be DOA overseas?
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Ubuntu Linux Vs. Windows Vista: What Do You Think?
Popular myth -- those tidbits of received wisdom that epitomize the phrase, "Of course it's true, everyone says so!" -- is as evident in the technology community as it is in any other society. The only difference is that this particular community isn't divided by geographical location, but by language -- namely, the language that their favorite computer speaks.
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Gartner Predicts 80% Of Internet Users Will Be Active In Virtual Worlds
An interesting report by Gartner this week adds evidence that virtual worlds are here to stay. Gartner says 80% of Internet users will be active in virtual worlds within four years. They also gave advice on how big business should get on top of virtual worlds.
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IT Doesn't Matter: Nick Carr, Four Years Later
Next month marks the anniversary of a very controversial article that may or may not still apply. It depends on which side of the IT fence you are sitting on, I suppose.
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Using Second Life As A Business-To-Business Tool
I just got off the phone with Cisco -- we ended up talking for a couple of hours about how Cisco is using Second Life for business-to-business communications. Turns out that quite a few Second Life users are network engineers. These are Cisco's customers, and Cisco is aggressively using Second Life to communicate with them.
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Report From A Weary Mobile Traveler
Well, my trip to Madrid and back to cover the Nokia Applications Summit and S60 Summit was met with good success from a technology standpoint. My mobile phone had no problems adjusting to the European flavors of GSM, though I am dreading my bill next month, as Cingular charges by the kilobyte for data services abroad.
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SMS Accounted For 70% To 80% Of Worldwide Non-Voice Revenue
According to a new report from Research and Markets, short message service, or text messaging, was a cash cow for network operators in 2006. But with the recent trend to offer unlimited messaging bundles, has SMS become commoditized?
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FCC Fiddles, Broadband Opportunity Burns
"The most important step we can take to provide affordable broadband to all Americans is to facilitate the deployment of a third pipe into the home,'' FCC Chairman Kevin Martin said yesterday in announcing that the Commission would put off, once again, finalizing the structure of the 700MHz spectrum auction scheduled for later this year. "The upcoming auction represents the single most important opportunity for us to achieve this goal.'' Umm, right, exactly,Mr. Commissioner, so … think you could move it along a little here?
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The Museum of Modern Betas? Del.icio.us!
So this friend of mine wants to tell me about his new company, new product. But he's suave, he doesn't just email me, "Hey, Mr. Ur-So-Kool Press Bigshot, write me up." Instead he invites to me to connect to him on LinkedIn. Very subtle. He knows I'll backtrack his email address. I do. I find his company Web site. Product's still in the oven. Hmmm. But I also find it's listed on the Museum of Modern Betas' "Most Anticipated" List. What? Very cool site, if you like finding out early about new stuff. (My friend's product is No. 11.)
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More Data Points From 'Defining the CIO' Research
In my last blog post, I said I'd reveal the titles that survey respondents think the CIO could someday assume based on their evolving responsibilities. And here are the results...
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Do Wireless Subscribers Really Want Mobile Net Neutrality?
Mobile VoIP provider Truphone this week came out against carriers blocking VoIP functionality on mobile phones. The company went so far as to claim that this act threatens mobile net neutrality. But is the mobile Web really a neutral network?
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You Aren't Safe. Get Over It
The latest news to add to the list of online perils to be paranoid about comes courtesy of the Washington Post. Virus writers apparently have a new scheme for distributing malicious code: purchasing popular Google keywords and publishing ads that purport to lead users to legitimate Websites. Some of the keywords the tricksters bought include "BBB" (for Better Business Bureau) and "Cars.com."
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We The ('Net) People: Who Owns The Presidential Debates?
Is MSNBC "stealing" the first major political event of the 2008 presidential race, Thursday night's Hillary Clinton-Barack Obama-John Edwards debate in South Carolina?
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If E-Mail Is Old School, I Must Be Ancient
The rapid pace of change can sometimes make a person feel old. That's how I felt this week when I read about the LG National Texting Championship.
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Safari Vs. Firefox On The Mac: Firefox Wins
I'm done with my fast-and-dirty evaluation of the Safari as a potential replacement for Firefox on the Mac, and I'm sticking with Firefox. Here's why I stuck with Firefox, and what I still miss about Safari.
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Sun At 25 ... Where Is This Company Headed?
Good question. Are Solaris, Sparc,and tape storage gaining momentum? Are you buying Sun products?
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The Two Most Useful Search Tricks I Know
I use these all day and every day. One of these tricks allows you to do a search quickly in Firefox. The other trick allows you to narrow searches down to a particular site.
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Does A Job Ad Signal The Return Of The Google Phone?
Just when you thought it was safe to deny the existence of a Google Phone, more rumors stir the blogosphere. Late last week Dan Jones at Unstrung pointed out that Google posted a job ad for hardware product manager. So much for Google not getting into the hardware business. Oh, it gets better.
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OZ Buys Thumbspeed: Is The Mobile Messaging Market Consolidating?
Mobile messaging platform company OZ this week said it acquired Thumbspeed, a maker of mobile messaging and personalization applications, from Hands-On Mobile for an undisclosed amount. What does this deal mean for the mobile messaging market?
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FON Dials It Up With Software-Only Hotspot For Mac, Linux
FON, the Spanish share-your-Internet-connection company, is moving fast this week. On Monday it announced a deal with Time Warner Cable that will officially let broadband customers do what some of them have already been doing unofficially -- set up FON routers that redistribute their Internet service via Wi-Fi. Today, FON announced software for Intel Macs and Linux boxes that does the same thing, no router required.
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Is It An 'Interview' If It's Via E-Mail?
In working on my story on Wall Street's efforts to reduce data latency, I had several e-mail exchanges with a spokesperson for BATS, a very nice but not overly responsive fellow. After the story came out, he chided me for not checking the facts with him. I pointed out that in the week the story was being edited, I made several attempts to reach him by phone and by e-mail, unsuccessfully. I am reminded of this exchange in reading the spat going on right now between bloggers and tech mavens Jason Calacanis and Dave Winer and the Wired journalist Fred Vogelstein.
(Full disclosure: I was formerly a contributing editor at Wired, like Vogelstein. I don't know any of the principals involved.)
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How Does RadioShack Stay In Business?
Leave it to The Onion to ask one of the pressing questions of our time: How does RadioShack stay in business? This clever satire ponders how the age-old retailer manages to survive in the era of Best Buy and Amazon.
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Will AT&T Market The iPhone To Business Users?
According to a new report, AT&T may try to market the iPhone to business users as well as consumers. Mobile and enterprise IT analysts, however, are not so cool with the idea.
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S60 Summit Exhibitors Show Off Consumer Applications
Continuing our tour around the S60 Summit expo hall, Over The Air saw another handful of innovative applications and services aimed at consumers and enterprise users. Want to find the nearest Wi-Fi? Easy. Need to seamlessly switch your cellphone from business to personal mode? Done.
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100 Millionth S60-Based Smartphone Ships
During this morning's keynote address at the S60 Summit in Madrid, Spain, Nokia announced that more than 100 million devices based on the S60 platform have shipped. That totals 53.5% of the world market share for smartphone operating systems, and that doesn't include Symbian UIQ, which also has a sizable chunk of the market. In the nice little graphic shown to the audience, RIM's platform was a tiny blip. Windows Mobile's presence wasn't much larger. So, why aren't enterprises deploying it in the U.S.?
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Pay-Per-Call Provides Alternative To Pay-Per-Click Web Advertising
I was introduced to a new industry last night: Pay-per-call. It's like pay-per-click advertising, except the site hosting the ad gets paid when the customer picks up a phone and calls the vendor.
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Too Many Writers Spoil The Story
Blogger Jason Calcanis recently refused to be interviewed over the phone by Wired contributing editor Fred Vogelstein. Calcanis prefers e-mail.
As Calcanis explained in an e-mail to Vogelstein, "I'm an email guy like dave winer.. And I own my words as well, and often print them on my blog (after stories come out)."
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Building In Second Life, With Links To Web Info
I spent a pleasant hour or so last night acquainting myself with building in Second Life. I created a simple platform that floats at an altitude of 100 meters above my land. Building in Second Life is actually fairly simple in concept, and simple once you get the hang of it, but in the middle there's lots of fiddly little options to select and buttons to push and it's easy to make mistakes.
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E-Mail Is Out With Today's Younger Web Users
For most of us in the business world, e-mail is an integral part of our work lives. But for the millennials -- the generation between ages 13 and 24 -- e-mail is for old people. That's right, the first form of communication that brought many of us into the online world is now as outdated as a leisure suit.
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Video: "The Simpsons" Take On Google
Marge Simpson looks up her name on Google. "And all this time I thought 'Googling yourself' meant the other thing," she declares. Then she tries Google Earth. Hilarity ensues. Watch the 37-second video after the jump.
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The Regeneration Of Mobile Sales Force Automation
Just ask any CIO and they’ll tell you mobility is a top priority for 2007. While certain enterprise applications are obvious ROI generators when mobilized, the real value of others is hard to pin down. Intuitively, we know that getting rid of paper-based processes in field service and other tasks is a major time and money saver. But what is the value in mobilizing other critical productivity applications like Sales Force Automation (SFA)?
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PowerPoint Rules That Could Save Our Sanity
Blogger/speaker/VC Guy Kawasaki in a speech at CA World served up a great set of to end PowerPoint insanity. When I found out his "10/20/30" rules come from a 16-month-old post on Mr. Kawasaki's blog, I worried they may be a bit stale to discuss here. Then I realized: since not one person in business yet adheres to this PowerPoint reform movement, the rules are worth sharing.
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Take 5: The Evolution Of The Mobile Phone User Experience
Welcome to this week's edition of Take 5, our regular feature on Over The Air where we ask a wireless or enterprise IT industry insider five (or in this case eight) questions about a specific area of interest. This week's guest is Frank Tyneski, Senior Director of Design and Human Factors for Kyocera Wireless. Our topic is The Evolution Of Mobile Usability, with an emphasis on handsets and smartphones. Let's dig in.
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Viacom Takes Out The Wrong Garbage
Anybody who has ever worked with computers knows the old adage "garbage in, garbage out." Besides the most obvious interpretation, this phrase also expresses the truth that, in the end, it's the human element that determines the value of a computer's output. However, taking the human element out of your processes completely can also result in some very embarrassing, and costly, mistakes.
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Hey Mel, Your (Pay-)Slip is Showing
Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez wasn't the only one getting raked over the coals before Congress last week. Sirius Satellite Radio CEO Mel Karmazin also faced a hostile audience in a hearing at the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation on the proposed XM-Sirius merger, in which committee chairman Daniel K. Inouye of Hawaii said he believes the deal faces "a steep hill to climb" because of concerns over competition. This week, things look even bleaker for the marriage of the two outlets for new-form radio, which have both spent lavishly on programming and signing up subscribers.
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MySQL Gains Among Developers, Not Just Here, But In Kuala Lumpur
You don't hear a lot of pronouncements out of MySQL AG, supplier of the open database system these days. But behind the scenes, it's making plenty of noise. That's just because it's gaining as the database of choice among developers, according to an Evans Data survey. Also, a trick Google search on MySQL yields surprising results.
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Attention Cellular Customers: It's Time To Speak Out!
Most of us, if not all of us, use mobile devices whether it's a cell phone, a smartphone, or a Pocket PC. We all pay the monthly fees, the necessary taxes, and sometimes even those obscure charges that show up on our bills. We all deal with dropped calls, "dead zones," and lack of features like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or 3G. But it's time for us—the consumers—to speak out and confront the cellular carriers with our frustrations.
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By Jupiter! Consumers Don't Find Mobile Banking All That Intriguing
The latest results from Jupiter Research note that no matter how hard banks and other financial institutions push mobile banking, only 8% of cell phone users who use online banking services are interested in mobile banking. Jupiter says banks are going about it the wrong way.
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Enterprise Apps Galore On Display At Nokia Application Summit
Live from Madrid, Spain, Over The Air got the latest scoop on some cool enterprise applications for the connected business user. Ranging from business card readers to invoice approval and device security applications, there's a wealth of enterprise tools for the Symbian S60 platform to make working on the go more productive.
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Her Second Life As A Swimsuit Model
Mary Hayes Weier, who wrote about her experiences building an online shopping avatar at LandsEnd.com, shares the result.
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Buying Land In Second Life
At last, I bought land in Second Life to built my virtual home in. I've been shopping for more than a month, and couldn't find a tract I fell in love with. I'm still not in love with the land I bought, but I like it.
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InformationWeek Shutting Down Its Second Life Office
InformationWeek shut down its office in Second Life. We're still committed to Second Life coverage. I'm still spending a couple of hours a day in Second Life. I'm still writing lots of blogs and articles out of SL. But the office just wasn't doing anything for us, so we gave it the ax.
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Forrester Claims Mobile Business Will Not Be A Reality Until 2013
A new study from Forrester Research claims that while CIOs and IT managers are interested in business mobility, they are only now beginning to really embrace the technology. As a result, we may have to wait a little longer for the truly mobile enterprise. Are they serious?
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The BlackBerry Crash: What Really Happened?
What really happened last week when RIM's BlackBerry e-mail service went down? Daniel Taylor over at the Mobile Enterprise Blog has some suggestions.
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Safari Vs. Firefox On The Mac: Which Is Better?
I switched from Firefox on the Mac to the Safari browser yesterday. So far, after a couple of hours on Safari, I'm concluding that they're both fine browsers. On the other hand, each one has limitations. I really wish there were a browser that combines the best of both.
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Slick Profits And Ugly Extortion At U Of Maryland
An e-commerce triumph by young college entrepreneurs has been tarnished by larceny and extortion at the University of Maryland.
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13-Year-Old Gets Thumbs Up At LG National Texting Championship
On Saturday I decided to skip my usual weekend routine to check out the LG National Texting Championship in New York's Roseland Ballroom. More than 300 text messagers crowded the historic space to show off their texting skills and earn a chance to take home the $25,000 grand prize.
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Growth Of Mobile Phones Sales Continues, But At Slower Rate
Across the globe sales of mobile phones rose 10% during the first quarter of 2007, according to research firm IDC. The 256.4 million units represent an increase over the year-ago quarter, but it's somewhat cooler than the hot sales from the fourth quarter of 2006, which were 13.8% higher. Will sales hit 1 billion again this year?
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Cingular To Refund Affected BlackBerry Users
According to an inside memo, business subscribers who call Cingular/AT&T's customer service line will receive a prorated credit (up to $2.50) for the loss of their BlackBerry e-mail service for one day last week. Looks like complaining can accomplish something after all.
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Is CA Serious About Software Development?
Think of CA, once the definition of the serial-acquirer software company, and "organic development" doesn't leap to mind. But a homegrown mobile-device management tool CA has in beta is a sign of things to come, its CTO says. He's promising to show off more such work this week at CA World.
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Dell's XP Embrace: Some of The Mojo Is Back
Dell's recent management shakeup and the return of founder Michael Dell to the controls may already be paying dividends, in the form of the company's move to offer Windows XP on certain desktops – flying boldly in the face of Microsoft's Vista-and-nothing-but-Vista strategy.
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Writing And Productivity Tips From Cory Doctorow
This is a little off-topic for us. Last night, I went to a talk by InformationWeek contributor, blogger, and science-fiction writer Cory Doctorow. He was speaking in his capacity as an sf writer last night, reading from and talking about his writing, and I was attending, not as a journalist, but as a friend, fan, and unpublished science ficton writer myself, looking for entertainment and tips. But the talk was so interesting I felt the need to write it up and share it. And, since Cory is a contributor to this publication, and many of our readers are sf fans, I'm posting here.
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Got Any Good Windows Vista Tips?
Have you got your feet wet with Microsoft's new operating system? If you're like me, you don't have it at work, but you've been spending an untoward amount of time with it on your home PC. That's where I came up with my Top 5 Windows Vista Tips To Personalize Your PC.
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A Hammock For Your Electronics
Because your electronics needs its beauty rest? No, it's a little doo-hickey to use when charging your gadgets at inconveniently placed electrical sockets, to keep from having to put 'em on the floor. Still: Funny.
Role-Playing In Second Life
Role-playing is one of the most popular activities in Second Life. You're basically pretending to be a fictional character. Remember when you were a kid you tied a towel around your neck and pretended to be a caped superhero? As far as I can see, role-playing in SL is like that, but geared for grownups.
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Dell's Move Raises Question: Will Windows XP Compete With Vista?
Dell's plan to reintroduce Windows XP as an option on its consumer and home-office PCs, as reported midday Friday on our site by Paul McDougall, adds a powerful counterbalance to the tale of unimpeded Vista uptake.
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Microsoft News And Notes From My Redmond Visit
You learn a lot about a company after being on its campus for two days. Microsoft's no different. The company's main campus in Redmond is huge, with tens of thousands working there daily. With so many people, my meetings cut across business and product lines, and I was able to get a bunch of good insight, as well as some bits and pieces that I find newsworthy and interesting, including some release dates and/or new details about Windows Live, security, management and developer tools. So, onto a blog of news and notes.
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5 Rules For Exploiting Tragedy
And the award for The Crassest PR Pitch I received this week in the wake of the Virginia Tech slayings goes to … Sam Sims, of Jones PR in Oklahoma City! (Take a bow, Sam.)
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Pop Quiz: Who's Got Access To The Government's Student Loan Data?
It wouldn't surprise me if Sen. Edward ("Ted") Kennedy--well, his staff, really--had a bad case of writer's cramp. The senator's office this week alone issued four public statements criticizing the misuse of student data by student loan lenders, guarantors, and other members of that $85 billion-a-year industry. He's also made very specific requests of the U.S. Education Department and certain members of the student loan industry, asking them to explain a number of their recent actions and apparent conflicts of interest. Speaking as someone with extensive experience with student loans, I say, "It's about time."
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Second Life Growth Slows Slightly In March, But Still Exploding
Second Life saw a 2% decline in the rate of growth for premium accounts. Those are accounts where users pay $9.95 per month, as opposed to the much more common free accounts. The rate of growth was 13% in March, as opposed to 15% in February, according to analysis by Second Life Insider.
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AT&T Delivers The Fruits Of Its BellSouth Merger
If you're a business, AT&T has good news for you: It's rolling out the first set of integrated wireline and wireless services. The products are a result of AT&T's acquisition of BellSouth last year. The carrier says it's responding to customer demand for wireless technology, which accounted for about 30% of total telecom budgets last year, according to Forrester Research.
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Who Needs Patents? Startups Do, To Protect Inventions
I'm not a fan of companies patenting obvious software functionality or being the first to the U.S. Patent Office with ideas that are plucked from a shared, intellectual environment. But a reader responded to my blog post last week on a company that's seeking a patent on an Ajax compiler. He makes the case that startups need protection for their inventions.
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The Year 2000 As Predicted In 1900: Did They Anticipate Wireless Phones And TV?
It's always interesting to see what people in the past thought "the future" would be like. Predictions usually say more about the people in the age they were made than they do about the future. But sometimes, a few of these predictions really hit home.
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Wait, Now The iPhone Is Having OS Issues Again...
Yes. More rumors to tempt you, tease you, and taunt you with. Ars Technica is reporting in its blog that a solid inside source at Hon Hai/Foxconn says there are still a number of software/OS bugs to be worked out with the iPhone. They conclude that at best only a "trickle" of iPhones will be available at launch. The iPhone roller coaster continues its twisted, torturous ride.
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Microsoft Trashes iPhone In Australia, Says iPhone Isn't Ready For Business Users
Chris Sorenson, Microsoft's Asia-Pacific head of smartphone strategy, this week dissed the iPhone during remarks to journalists in Australia. And you thought only bloggers were going after the iPhone.
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BlackBerry Outage Caused By Untested New Feature
Research in Motion is saying that a new storage feature led to the complete breakdown of its wireless email service in the Western Hemisphere earlier this week. RIM also stated that security and scalability issues did not play a role in the outage. Sure, blame it on a new feature that users weren't even aware of.
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Charge Your Mobile Phone With A Solar Powered Bikini
It's an itsy bitsy tiny weeny solar powered bikini, and it can recharge your cell phone. Check out this futuristic clothing that's just in time for summer.
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A 'Most Likely to Succeed' List from the Web 2.0 Hypefest
Tim O'Reilly, who gets credit for coining "Web 2.0," has taken several whacks at defining it, and he took another one this week at his own Web 2.0 Expo this week in San Francisco: "We are talking about persistent computing in which we are becoming part of a great machine." Thanks, but if that's it, I'll pass. If you, gentle reader, on the other hand, want to plug into whatever Web 2.0 means, a ratings company called Hitwise used the conference as the launch platform for its own little bundle of hype, a list of six products and companies that it thinks will rise to the top of the Web 2.0 heap. See if you agree.
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The Complete Rebuttal For Second Life Skeptics
Second Life expert Wagner James Au provides the final rebuttal to skeptics who think that the virtual world is just a fad, or are baffled why it's getting so much attention.
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Data Dumpster Diving, Anyone?
Do you know where your paper customer records are? Better yet, does the state attorney general's office know? As both RadioShack and CVS/Caremark Corp. have found out this year, being in control of the former situation is so much better than ceding control in the latter.
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Scripting And Building In Second Life -- A Brief Video Introduction
I asked my colleagues at Dr. Dobb's Journal for some pointers to machinima resources so we can get started making our own machinima, and I was told that DDJ's Scott Swigart knows a lot about it. I found this neat video that provides a six-minute introduction to building and scripting in Second Life.
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My Second Life As A Swimsuit Model
I already have a job, mortgage, family, and community, so I don’t see any need for a Second Life. The first one keeps me plenty busy, thank you. But I can use what I found at LandsEnd.com: An avatar that tries on swimsuits for me.
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Get Your Wallet Out: App Upgrades And Music Fees
Whatever else Windows Vista does for your PC, it's not going to make the numbers on your budgetary spreadsheet any lower. Several software vendors have decided not to upgrade existing versions of their products to be Vista-compatible -- instead, they're going to reshape upcoming versions. So if you buy a Vista PC, you don't get to reinstall your existing application onto your new machine. Instead, prepare to fork out some additional cash to get the next iteration.
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Tip: Use Babelfish To Translate Chat, Discussions In Real-Time
OK, probably everybody in the world already knows this, but you can use BabelFish (and other online translation services) to translate the discussion of people you encounter in Internet discussion. I generally think of BabelFish as a translation service for Web pages -- and a not-very-effective one at that -- but of course it'll work on any text.
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Google And Dodgeball: What Went Wrong?
Mike Masnick at Techdirt is curious why Google's acquisition of Dodgeball has yet to produce anything. I have to agree with him. What happened?
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Take 5: How To Prepare For Another BlackBerry Crash
Welcome to this week's edition of Take 5, Over The Air's weekly interview segment where we ask a mobile business insider five (or more) questions about a select topic. This week's guest is mobile and wireless analyst Jack Gold with J.Gold Associates. Our topic is yesterday's system-wide crash of the BlackBerry push e-mail system -- and how you can build a contingency plan for your orginization.
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Nokia Posts 1Q Results, "Multimedia Computers" Takes Bigger Share Of Profits
In looking at Nokia's 1Q financial results today, I noticed something interesting. Its N Series "multimedia computers" are separated from its regular mobile phone business in terms of performance. While Nokia posted a 5% drop in earnings from its mobile phones, it saw a 28% increase in earnings from the "multimedia computers." Maybe that's in part due to the N95's $750 (550 euro) sale price.
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AT&T Says The iPhone Will Be On Time. Take That, Bloggers!
According to a report from Reuters, AT&T COO Randall Stephenson is looking to quell consumer fears - and maybe silence us bloggers - by issuing a statement about the iPhone. "The iPhone is on target to launch in June," he says. Are his words enough to shut the blogosphere up? Nah.
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Nokia's N95: 2.5G, Not 3G
In my excitement last week about the new $750 Nokia N95, I misspoke when outlining the smartphone's networking capability. Here's what I wrote: "The N95 includes a 5-megapixel camera, a powerful media player, 3G networking over the Cingular/AT&T HSDPA system, and Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, as well as an innovative dual-slide design." In fact, the N95, while it works over European 3G networks based on WCDMA 2100, doesn't run over AT&T's 1900-MHz version of WCDMA. (Thanks to the readers who pointed out this discrepancy.)
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Microsoft To Pop The Top On PhizzPop
Microsoft may not have been at the forefront of creating social networks, but the Windows company is ready to lift the lid on a conversation with the new architects of Web 2.0.
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Machinima: Making Movies Using Computer-Game Software
"Machinima" is the art of making computer animation using software from video games, rather than expensive, dedicated computer-animation software. I'm no expert on the subject, but here are some of my favorites.
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Wireless Companies Talk Mobile 2.0 At Web 2.0
With all of the chatter about Web 2.0 for the desktop, it was great to hear progress is being made so mobile platforms can share in the mashup love.
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Will Linden Lab's Open-Sourcing Second Life Hurt Some Of Its Biggest Customers?
Currently, Linden Lab's major revenue source is "land sales," leasing space on its servers for businesses and dedicated consumers to build property in Second Life. Many businesses derive revenue by turning around and renting property in-world. When Linden Lab open-sources the servers, land will become more plentiful and the value of land will decrease, thus diminishing the value of these "land barons'" investments.
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Learn About Second Life For Developers And Business At The Life 2.0 Summit Late This Month
If you're a developer or businessperson interested in learning more about the opportunities in Second Life, my colleagues at Dr. Dobb's Journal have the conference for you: the Life 2.0 Summit, running April 28 to May 4, both in Second Life and simulcast to the Web.
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Another Sign That Dell Might Be Working On A Smartphone
Those rumors about Dell making a smartphone just got more support. According to a report from DigiTimes, Quanta Computer is building a Windows Mobile device code-named "fly" that will ship under the Dell brand. So maybe Dell is working on a smartphone after all. But what about the story that Dell might buy Palm?
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Finally, A Good Use For Twitter -- It Can Save You From The Zombies
I'm discovering there are two kinds of people in the world -- those that get Twitter and those that don't. If you're in the first group, you've got to check out "Zombie Attack" -- the first twittered work of fiction. No, I'm serious. This is great stuff.
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8-Year-Olds Know What's Cool, Give Kiddie Phones The Thumbs Down
Last week both Cingular and Verizon Wireless pulled their bare-bones kid phones, the FireFly and Migo, from their respective retail distribution points. The phones targeted kids with basic calling features that kept Mom and Dad happy, but obviously didn't go far enough to tempt the hip kids on the block.
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EV-DO Rev. A Is The Real 3G Deal
The other day I blogged that maybe carriers aren't getting a return on their investment with respect to 3G wireless data. While that might be true from a mobile phone perspective, it's an altogether different story when you consider mobile data cards. I am writing this blog from a Borders near my home and skipping the T-Mobile HotSpot because the Verizon Wireless EV-DO Rev. A wireless broadband service is faster.
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Sneak Peek at 'Defining the CIO' Research
Well, Nation, we've just received the results of our fifth annual "Defining the CIO" research, a survey of 575 business and IT professionals about the evolving role of the CIO in business. And I'm happy to report, given some of my recent postings deriding recent third-party reports supposedly chronicling the demise or decline in influence of the CIO, that our research refutes just about every aspect of those other studies and media coverage...
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Will Battery Life Delay The iPhone?
The iPhone rumors this week are nonstop. As if the ruckus over rebates and subsidies for the iPhone weren't enough, now an online newsletter claims that the iPhone is suffering from poor battery life, echoing an earlier rumor broken by John Dvorak two weeks ago. The poor iPhone just can't catch a break.
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BlackBerry Mobile E-Mail Crashes Across The Entire Western Hemisphere
BlackBerry users this morning woke up to find that their precious push e-mail service was down. Push e-mail junkies across the entire Western Hemisphere were without their fix. Will this outage be the break BlackBerry's competitors have been looking for?
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Linden Lab To Open-Source Second Life Servers
Linden Lab plans to open up the source code for Second Life's servers, allowing anyone to run their own version of Second Life, a company spokesman said today, confirming the widespread belief among many in the 3D community that open-sourcing the servers was inevitable.
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Microsoft On Its Internet Do Or Die
I'm out here at Microsoft's massive Redmond campus this week interviewing Microsoft executives about everything from newly-announced Flash competitor Silverlight to what's on tap for Windows Server "Longhorn." And also my lead feature from this week, "Microsoft's Internet Do or Die," which was greeted by a general "eh, harumph" from one of the Microsoft executives I quoted.
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Beware The Bubble Machine At Web 2.0 Expo
The Web 2.0 Summit was so popular last year that we decided to team up again with O'Reilly and get jiggy with the start-ups. Time to polish up your elevator pitch and don't forget your score card.
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Carnival Of The Mobilists #69
The Carnival of the Mobilists #69 is up over at mobile marketing & spam. This week's edition features blog posts on a number of topics including mobile user experience, mobile services, driving demand for mobile data, the issues surrounding the business of being a handset OEM, and mobile commerce. Check it out.
Can Microsoft Get Its Mojo Back?
The Internet moves quickly, but perhaps you remember this essay from that long-ago time of last week (gosh, we were so much younger then, weren't we?). In it, developer Paul Graham argues that Microsoft is dead, killed by Web applications and buried by the Apple comeback. I do think there is some truth to Graham's essay -- but it's only part of the story. InformationWeek's J. Nicholas Hoover tells the rest, describing Microsoft's plans for embracing Web applications, coming back from the dead like the zombies in Michael Jackson's Thriller video.
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Google's Deal For DoubleClick Could Be The End Of Yahoo
Unless you live in a cave (not that there is anything wrong with that), you probably know by now that late last week Google agreed to buy online ad services company DoubleClick for $3.1 billion. Google paid through the nose for DoubleClick -- roughly 10 times revenue. Everyone has been talking about how this deal kept Microsoft from owning the display ad space. While I think that was one of the reasons Google executed this deal, there is a bigger one. Combined with AdWords, DoubleClick could give Google the ammunition it needs to kill Yahoo.
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Copyright Royalty Board Puts Internet Radio On Death Watch
The Copyright Royalty Board has quickly and completely affirmed its own decision on performance royalties, set in accordance with recording-industry wishes, that will be assessed against Internet music-streaming and radio station sites. Because the rates, which were more than a year overdue, were much higher than the Internet radio industry expected, and retroactive for 2006, one possible result is that many small Internet radio operators will cease operations immediately and wait to see if Congress or the courts will provide relief.
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Apple May Subsidize iPhone: Another Sign The iPhone Is In Trouble?
One analyst claims that Apple is seriously considering a subsidy strategy for the iPhone. This is completely the opposite of what Apple planned to do when it launched the iPhone in January. Could this be yet another sign that Apple is scrambling to save the iPhone?
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MySQL CEO: Open Source Is Software's Game of The Future
Marten Mickos, CEO of MySQL AB, gave a keynote address at the Software and Information Industry Association software strategy summit in San Francisco yesterday. His topic was "Building A Sustainable Open Source Business." Like a good hockey player, he advised the audience to "skate to where the puck is going to be."
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Do Analysts Matter?
If you want to make it as a Web 2.0 company, find a way to get a positive review from Michael Arrington, the well-known Silicon Valley entrepreneur and founder of TechCrunch. Arrington, it seems, has become the tech industry equivalent of Robert Parker, the influential wine critic whose tastes have shaped that industry.
Not so long ago, Gartner could make or break a company. Not so much anymore, outside of a few areas like CRM, according to Chris Tolles, VP of marketing at Topix.com.
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More Opinions On Wal-Mart's Flexible Scheduling
Several letters arrived in response to my initial story, "Wal-Mart's Latest 'Orwellian' Technology Move: Get Over It," before I posted a blog where those who are interested could comment. Read what some of the initial letter writers had to say, and join in the discussion.
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Survey Respondents Not Warming Up To The Idea Of Wi-Fi-Only Phones
Almost 25% of respondents to In-Stat's online survey said "no thanks" to the idea of phones powered solely by Wi-Fi. The rest of the respondents indicated only minimal interest. Is the technology DOA?
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Is the Mobile Data Gambit Finally Paying Off For Carriers?
According to a new study by Forrester Research, not really. Only 44% of wireless subscribers are using some type of data service. While this shows that mobile data usage is becoming more commonplace, the bad news is that the bulk of it comes from text messaging rather than ring tone downloads or mobile Internet surfing. In fact, a majority of consumers fail to see the value of mobile data services.
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What Are The Best Practices For Real-Life Businesses In Second Life?
I've lost count of the number of real-life businesses that have opened shop in Second Life. While many are doing it as a publicity stunt, some companies are taking it seriously. IBM, AOL and, well, us, come to mind here. They're in Second Life as a long-term investment, both of financial resources and of time spent by employees learning the ins and outs of this new medium. Which has gotten me to thinking: What are the best practices for real-life businesses in Second Life?
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Second Life Image: This Guy Looks Like He Has A Baaaaad Hangover
I found this guy during some random exploration in Second Life. He looks like he had a little too much to drink the night before. He's enormous--to get an idea how big, look very, very closely and you can barely see my avatar, Ziggy Figaro, sitting on the left knuckle of his left hand. I found him in Sweet Leaf (SLURL)). Screenshot below the fold.
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Slimeball Typo Squatters Take Social As Well As Financial Toll
An anecdote: I finally agreed to buy my pre-teen daughter an iPod (after making her jump through hoops to convince me she wouldn't immediately lose it). As part of our due diligence, I set her on a Web quest to research our purchasing options.
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Are Cell Phones Killing All The Bees?
It seems pretty out there, but according to some scientists mobile phones could be killing off bee populations in the United States and parts of Europe. Can you hear the bees now?
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Web 2.0 Evident In Aftermath Of Virginia Tech Shootings
The Web 2.0-ization of news has been evident in the immediate aftermath of the tragic Virginia Tech campus shooting. Bloggers have covered the event in real time, and individuals have rushed to post photos touching on the event to sites such as Flickr.
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BlackBerry 8800: Is It Right For Your Enterprise?
Michael Brandenburg at Network Computing takes a look at the BlackBerry 8800 and how it might fit in your enterprise.
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Will Dell Buy Palm?
When rumors first broke that Palm was looking for a buyer, some wireless insiders suggested Dell would buy them. Then Dell dropped off the rumor radar screen as stories about possible deals from Nokia and Motorola took center stage. Well, the Nokia and Motorola rumors have come and gone and now whispers suggest that Dell might be looking to buy Palm once again.
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Now Hear This: More On Internet Radio
And the hits just keep on coming: My roundup of Internet radio sites that can help you discover new music and artists (Review: 6 Internet Radio Sites Help You Discover New Music) is just a toe-dip into the ocean of a very large subject. And I'm hearing from other toes. Richard S. Mitnick wrote to ask, "Nice article. But how did you miss Shoutcast?" and James Rome accurately pointed out that classical music lovers have a lot less to choose from than pop fans -- but he had some good suggestions.
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Research: People Prefer WiMax To 3G Or Wi-Fi Wireless Data
The results come from an In-Stat survey that pitched the high-speed wireless technologies head to head. In the study, the majority of U.S. consumers chose WiMax over Wi-Fi or 3G cellular data services. The one caveat, and this is a big one, is that the study was based on descriptions of the technologies and not actual usage scenarios.
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Nokia Introduces Widget Support For S60 Developers
Developers for the Symbian Series 60 smartphone operating system will now have more tools and support to create widgets for mobile phones. The lightweight Web applications already appear on PCs. Making them easier to develop and deploy for cell phones will spur greater phone customization and increase mobile data usage.
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Get Live Twitter Commentary From The Director Of The New TV Show "Drive"
This looks like fun: Director Greg Yaitanes will post live commentary on Twitter for his new TV show Drive, which airs Sunday and Monday. Viewers can pick up Yaitanes's commentary as text messages on their cell phones. They can also pick up the messages over the Web.
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Freedom Of Speech And Civil Discourse -- Are They Mutually Exclusive?
Have you caught wind of the absolute hysteria over the suggestion that that online discussion may have devolved to the point where a code of conduct might be needed?
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Eating 50 Hard-Boiled Eggs In An Hour
Remember in the movie Cool Hand Luke when Paul Newman's title character bets his work-gang buddies that he can eat 50 hard-boiled eggs in one hour? Well, outsourcer Cognizant is on such a voracious growth spurt that it's hiring 11 people per hour, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week until it hits the projected mark of 58,000 that it now forecasts it will need this year to handle the 2007 workload.
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BlackBerry Continues To Fuel RIM's Success Despite Growing Scrutiny
Research in Motion (RIM), the company that makes the BlackBerry smartphone platform, continues to grow its revenue and subscriber base, despite ever-growing competition from across the wireless industry. Then why did the market slap it so hard?
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Make Your Cell Phone Retro Chic
Do you crave that perfect ironic phone accessory? Looking to trump all of your friends with their oh-so-2005 Bluetooth headsets? Then check out this cool mobile phone accessory that looks like... an old 1940s-era phone handset?
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Fun Things To Do In Second Life: Updated
I did the first pass of updates on my "Fun Things To Do In Second Life" post. I added an 11th and 12th item, and I changed the name of the list accordingly. The new items: Listening to live music and attending other live events, and visiting Amsterdam.
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Will The iPhone Actually Ship On Time?
OK, I am going there. It's beginning to look like Apple will miss the boat on its deadline for the iPhone. So, why do I think the iPhone will be delayed?
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No Afterlife For Imus
The blood is not dry on the cooling corpse of Don Imus' mass-media radio career, and already it's being assumed that the I-man, like Our Savior ascending into Heaven, will move on to the great gig in the sky: satellite radio. Fired from both CBS and MSNBC, Imus, says Slate's Stephen Metcalfe , will just move "off to an even bigger gig on satellite." Well, I say hold on there, cowboy.
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T-Mobile Strips Sidekick iD Of All Useful Features
Taking the mass market, shotgun approach, T-Mobile has trimmed some features from its Sidekick 3 device to produce the $99 Sidekick iD. The problem is, T-Mobile went too far and took away features that even free phones include. Tsk tsk.
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iPhone Steals Engineers From Apple's Leopard OS
There have been several rumors in the last few weeks that Apple's newest operating system, Leopard, would be delayed until the fall. Apple confirmed those rumors yesterday and announced that it had to reallocate engineers from its Leopard team to work on the iPhone instead, which is contributing to the delay. I guess the iPhone is giving Apple some internal headaches.
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Sun Snaps Up SavaJe IP For Mobile Java 3G
Will the technology purchase lead the way for a Sun Phone? Let's just say that Jonathan Schwartz would love to grab more of that mobile subscription cash.
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Why We're Devoting So Much Coverage To Second Life
I've been exchanging some e-mail with a reader who thinks we're crazy for devoting so much space to Second Life. He's not the only one -- many critics think the media in general devotes too much space to Second Life. You don't have to look very far to find that attitude.
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Securing Your Mobile Wallets
Losing a credit card is scary, but losing a cell phone that stores your bank account information is even scarier. Once cell phones come pre-loaded with mobile banking apps, some of your personal information will be stored on them. Naturally that poses a huge security hazard.
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7 Security Myths Busted
In the coming weeks, expect to see several stories in InformationWeek and at InformationWeek.com that explain and analyze the role that a chief information security officer has come to play within companies. This coverage will include profiles of some of the industry's leading security chiefs who share their experiences, expertise, and frustrations while protecting corporate and customer data in an increasingly hostile environment. For now, let's clear up some of the misconceptions that have evolved around security and the role of CISO.
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Workbrain's Scheduling Software Draws Retail's Eye
The white-hot field of workforce-scheduling applications got quite a shakeup this week as Wal-Mart elected not to go with Kronos as the supplier, as earlier reports in The Wall Street Journal and this blog previously indicated. Instead, the supplier that landed the global account is Workbrain, which is creating quite a reputation for itself in primarily the retail sector but also among manufacturing companies.
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When Did You Last Back Up?
The UserFriendly.Org comic strip, which I've followed on and off for years, recently had a series in which a hapless user's computer dies, and he, of course, hasn't bothered to use the tape backup drive that the tech supplied him with. The tech simmers with righteous fury -- until his own hard drive fries, and he realizes that he hasn't backed up either.
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$10 Cell Phone Coming Soon?
We've been hearing about ultra low-cost cell phones for a long time. But it looks like the wait may soon be over. The Berkeley Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society (CITRIS), is reportedly working with handset makers in Taiwan to build a cell phone with a $10 price tag targeted at the developing world.
Continue reading "$10 Cell Phone Coming Soon?..."
Make Free VoIP Calls On Your S60 Nokia Smartphone
Do you yearn to make free VoIP calls on your smartphone? Would it be even cooler if that application could work with your company's phone system? Well, the wait is over. WiFiMobile has a new application designed for business users that lets them make free VoIP calls on their S60 smartphones. Yes, but can anyone actually use the application?
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Local News Sites Coming To A Mobile Near You
While many wireless operators offer mobile Web portals that bring national headlines to your cell phone, finding local information is often a little bit more work. To remedy that, Crisp Wireless and Internet Broadcasting are bringing local news to your handsets with the launch of 29 mobile Web sites in tier 1 and tier 2 markets around the country.
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T-Mobile Ranks Highest In Customer Satisfaction. Again.
Apparently the folks over at T-Mobile not only know how to provide wireless phone calls, but they know how to talk to you on the phone, as well. In Vocal Laboratories' study on the quality of customer service, T-Mobile scored all "A's".
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A Hardheaded Look At The Blogger Code Of Conduct
One of my favorite bloggers, John Scalzi, takes a hardheaded look at the proposed blogger code of conduct, and has a common-sense response: He hates the code, but says bloggers need to take responsibility for their blogs, and understand that it's not a violation of free speech to delete offensive comments and ban the authors from coming back. He's right -- free speech can only survive in a civilized environment, when people start throwing around personal attacks and violent threats, then discussion is at a close.
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What Evil Lurks In Your Backed-Up Files? Shadow Copy Knows
Dave Methvin at PC Pitstop has an interesting -- and disturbing -- article in his company's monthly newsletter for April: Vista's slice-and-dice approach to carving its features into multiple versions has produced one presumably unintended side effect, he says: the less expensive Home Basic and Home Premium versions make backups of older versions of your files as you create new ones -- but you can neither access them, nor delete them.
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Palm 'Surges' With Linux-Based OS
Now you tell us. That's my reaction to the announcement by Palm CEO Ed Colligan yesterday, that the Treo-maker will finally, at long last, after years of rumor, speculation, and general procrastination, develop a new version of its Garnet operating system based on a Linux kernel.
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Is Google Both The Perfect Cash Cow And A Star?
Alex Iskold at Read/WriteWeb asks a great question: Is Google the ultimate money making machine? Iskold argues that Google may have discovered the world's most perfect business model. Is Google both the perfect cash cow and a star?
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Take 5: Socialight Combines Mobile Location And Social Networking For Something New
Welcome back to Take 5, my regular feature where I ask an industry insider five (or in this case six) questions about their company and the mobile business market as a whole. In this edition I throw the spotlight on a new mobile startup called Socialight. I spoke with the company's co-founder, Dan Melinger, about his new service, which combines mobile location, online local search, and social networking.
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Quick Tryout: DocuPen Executive Pack
When you plan an "executive" version of a product -- such as, say, the DocuPen Executive Pack -- you really should make sure that it includes enough support materials so that that the executive in question can assemble and use your product. Unfortunately, while the DocuPen -- a mobile scanner about six inches long and half an inch wide -- is a nifty and worthy product, the emphasis in its packaging is more on style than substance.
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Google Lays Out Its Mobile User Experience Strategy
Just market the word 'Google' with any event these days and you can pretty much bet it will sell out. Last night I was at a presentation by Google on mobile user experience. If any other company gave this talk, maybe 40 or so people would show up. But because the speaker was from Google and the event was in the company's New York City nerve center, over 250 people packed out the Google auditorium. For those of us lucky enough to get a ticket, we received an upfront look at how Google designs its mobile applications.
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Marriott Offers Electronic Tools For Travelers
Marriott's got a great new setup for business and recreational travelers, letting you use an in-room, 32-inch display for your laptop computer, DVD player, camcorder, and gaming systems. You can also use plug your MP3 player into the in-room audio system. Sweet!
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The Two-Headed 'Monster'?
Well, Nation, you figured it had to happen at some point, but there's a strong possibility you'll see two powerhouses in the outsourcing business teaming up in the not too distant future -- and when they do, I believe you'll see even the most stubborn outsourcing naysayers, those who cringe at the words "free market," finally coming around to accept the concept of a borderless enterprise.
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Palm: Working On Linux OS, Mum On Sale
At Palm's Analyst Day yesterday, CEO Ed Colligan casually mentioned that Palm is developing its own Linux-based operating system for future devices. And of course, he dodged any questions about a potential sale. Does Palm finally have an Ace up its sleeve?
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Research: Mobile TV Adoption Moving Forward. Slowly.
Research firm In-Stat recently released a report about the growth of mobile TV. As expected, things are going slowly. The number of mobile TV broadcast networks will only increase from 9 last year to 13 this year. The largest barrier? Spectrum availability.
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IT Unemployment: Is 2.3% Good?
It sounds low, but it's merely average compared with the broad professional ranks. Here are some more stats on the state of the U.S. IT job market.
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12 Things To Do In Second Life That Aren't Embarrassing If Your Priest Or Rabbi Finds Out
I get frustrated hearing people talk about how Second Life isn't entertaining, or it's only useful for advertising to "freaks," "furries, ageplay perverts and prank-loving adolescents." I finally decided to put together a list of things to do in Second Life, as a resource for people curious about the game, and also as something I can point to next time I read one of those misguided attacks.
Continue reading "12 Things To Do In Second Life That Aren't Embarrassing If Your Priest Or Rabbi Finds Out..."
Dell: Let's Have An Open Conversation
Dell is taking a page out of Sun Microsystems' old playbook. And no, it's not the one where they grow ponytails and put software under a GPL.
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Weighing In On Wal-Mart's Fluid Scheduling
I'm in desperate need of some self-image enhancement therapy after reading some of the feedback from last week's piece about Wal-Mart and its implementation of workforce-scheduling software and my assertion that while some employees will have to adapt to new work schedules that can be fluid or even unpredictable, it's nevertheless an excellent business move by Wal-Mart because it will lead to greater customer value by pegging workforce deployment to store traffic.
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Backing Up Your Desktop With Amazon S3
Since I converted to the Mac two months ago, I've been playing Russian Roulette. I haven't had a good system for doing backups. But that changed Sunday when I discovered the Amazon S3 online storage service which, when used with the free software Jungle Disk, provides a cheap, easy way to back up your Windows, Mac, or Linux computer online. Storage prices for Amazon S3 are staggeringly cheap.
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Mobile Marketing To Reach $3 Billion This Year
According to ABI Research, the market for advertising on mobile devices will hit the $3 billion mark by the end of the year, and will climb to $19 billion in just four years. But only if advertisers, carriers, and marketing companies follow every avenue offered by mobile technology.
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VoIP Too Complicated? Tell That To The Cable Companies
According to a new survey from Forrester Research, most VoIP services -- including free peer-to-peer (P2P) client applications like Skype, Google Talk, and Yahoo -- are too complicated for the average user. Then why are the cable companies so successful with their VoIP offerings?
Continue reading "VoIP Too Complicated? Tell That To The Cable Companies..."
Teens Hungry for iPhone
Contradicting the results of an earlier survey, some 25% of teenagers who are aware of the iPhone said they'd be willing to pony up $500 for it. Maybe there's hope for the device, after all.
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Can’t We Just All Get Along?
Apparently not. And some wouldn't have it any other way.
Anyone who has ever posted anything on a site with respectable traffic has been on the receiving end of what is, at best, mean-spiritedness, and at worst -- well, much worse.
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Dell Kills The Axim PDA
Mobility Site is reporting that Dell has effectively killed the Axim line of PDAs. What's an Axim fan to do?
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Ad-Based MVNO Surfaces In London
A mobile virtual network operator, founded by a team of ex-Nokia employees, is targeting the 16- to 24-year-old segment. Blyk hopes to lure in young users with free wireless services in exchange for viewing ads. Or does it hope to lure in advertisers with its base of young users? You decide.
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Carnival Of Mobilists #68
The mobilists are on the move. Carnival of Mobilists #68 is up at Always-On Real Time Access. The latest edition is chock full of good stuff including plenty of CTIA coverage. In addition, this carnival covers carriers and their CRM strategies (or lack thereof), the perpetual lack of openness for mobile developers, mobile Website optimization, Gen Y and the mobile Web, the evolution of the smartphone, and new paradigms for mobile UE.
Product Review: Bluetooth Headsets
Are you looking for a new Bluetooth headset? Then check out my colleague, Daniel P. Dern's, reviews of the latest Bluetooth headsets and see which one is right for you. Dern looks at the Aliph Jawbone, the Gennum nX6000, and the Plantronics Discovery 655.
NextWave Scoops Up IPWireless For $100 Million
NextWave Wireless, which was in bankruptcy protection only a few years ago, recently scored $355 million in new funding despite showing a $105 million loss for its 2006 fiscal year. Burning a hole in its pocket, NextWave couldn't help but run out and buy a company with some of that venture booty.
Continue reading "NextWave Scoops Up IPWireless For $100 Million..."
Quick Tryout: Google Voice Local Search
I couldn't resist testing Google's new Google Voice Local Search (GVLS), although it doesn't involve either booting up my PC or connecting to the Internet. As a result, it feels a bit strange, since Google is a name one normally associates with bits and bytes.
Continue reading "Quick Tryout: Google Voice Local Search..."
KDDI To Launch MVNO In The U.S.
Japanese wireless carrier KDDI is preparing to launch a US-based mobile phone service. KDDI's new service will be an MVNO that resells wireless access using Sprint's network. Does this mean that KDDI wants to compete with American carriers?
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Toyota Under Attack By Second Life Griefers
I was puttering around in Second Life tonight, when I got an instant message from my friend Rissa Maidstone -- the Toyota Scion island was under attack by Second Life pranksters. So I headed over there, and grabbed some screenshots. As griefing attacks go, it was pretty lame -- at least as far as I could observe -- but see for yourself. Check out the image below the fold.
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A Patent On An Ajax Generator? Ah, That Could Be Important
On April 2, MikeyTheK on Slashdot posted a notice that a start-up had received a patent on compiling Java or C++ into Ajax applications. This blog, like so many others, turned out to be more wrong than right. Nevertheless, it aired an important fact. The start-up, Morfik, which stepped into the spotlight at Web 2.0 in 2005, filed for a patent on a Java-to-Javascript compiler just before its San Francisco debut.
Continue reading "A Patent On An Ajax Generator? Ah, That Could Be Important..."
Should IT Departments Oversee Spying Operations?
Wal-Mart always seems to be in the news for one reason or another. Supporters tout its pioneering marketing model and groundbreaking success in offering low-cost goods to consumers and keeping operational costs low. And then there is Wal-Mart's leading-edge IT department and its cutting-edge use and investigation of bleeding-edge technology -- ever in the pursuit of keeping costs low and maximizing profit.
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What Happened To The Push-To-Talk Explosion?
Three years ago everyone was green with envy at Nextel's push-to-talk (PTT) service. Network vendors, handset makers, and carriers were all eager to duplicate Nextel's success. Everyone was ready for PTT to explode and they all predicted the cash cow was just around the corner. Then... nothing happened.
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Search Finds Python In NYC Google Office
Forget the latest upgrade to Google Talk or Google's new map mashups, the real Google news this week centered on a big snake. Reports claim that a 3-foot python, named Kaiser, somehow got loose Sunday in Google's New York City office in Chelsea.
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Three Mobile Banking Developments To Keep Your Eye On
The next time you take out your cell phone to make a phone call or send a text message, don't forget to check your bank account balance, pay your bills, or transfer money to your relatives in another state. These services and others are either already available or will become available by midyear now that financial companies are stepping up their mobile banking efforts.
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Small Businesses Turn To DotMobi For Mobile Web Sites
Interest in the mobile Web is high among many small and medium-sized businesses, but most of these small companies see launching a mobile site as too challenging. That's why they're turning to dotMobi as a simple and less expensive alternative.
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Qualcomm, Nokia Gird for Clash of the Titans
Next Monday's expiration of the cross-licensing agreement between Qualcomm and Nokia has sparked a number of different legal tactics by both companies over the the last few weeks. What's really at stake here? Money and Power.
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Poll: Female Drivers Love GPS
Behind the field service set, it turns out the early adopters of GPS technology aren't geeky engineer types, but regular female drivers. A recent poll shows that women use the technology to provide a level of comfort when driving in new or unfamiliar areas.
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Offshore Outsourcing Mostly About Lower Salaries? No Kidding!
There’s a new study out by Duke University challenging the belief that a common reason businesses go to China and India for engineers is because the United States doesn’t graduate nearly enough of them. The main reason businesses offshore outsource, the study concludes, is because the salaries are lower. Well, no $#*&!
Continue reading "Offshore Outsourcing Mostly About Lower Salaries? No Kidding!..."
Going For The Green
Last week, our old 19-inch tube TV became very ill -- it starting painting everything a weird shade of green -- and so we went out and bought a snazzy new 27-inch flat screen display. We were really happy with our new purchase -- until we realized that we now had to figure out how to get rid of the old TV.
Continue reading "Going For The Green..."
Are The Big Wireless Trade Shows Now Irrelevant?
It has been over a week since I was down in Orlando for CTIA Wireless 2007 and it is time to take a look back at the show that was. Like many of my colleagues in the wireless press corps, I was more than a little disappointed by this year's CTIA. Frankly, I was also a little disappointed by this year's 3GSM. And even reaching out for the broader shows, like CES and CeBit, there wasn't that much news either. For those of us who have been covering this industry for a while, there was little in terms of big news at this year's major shows. What's going on here?
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Verizon Wireless Retakes The Lead In The U.S. Wireless Market
Verizon Wireless is once again the top U.S. carrier in terms of direct retail subscribers. According to researcher IDC, Verizon jumped back to the number one position in the U.S., edging out AT&T with 56.8 million subscribers compared with AT&T's 56.3 million. Verizon also held the top spot for wireless data revenue and data percentage of average revenue per user.
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DIY Map Mashups Now On Google Maps
Google this week launched My Maps, a new Google Map service that lets users make their own map mashups for Google Maps and Google Earth.
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Verizon Elucidates Data Plan Marketing Lingo
If you thought that nifty wireless broadband plan you have with Verizon Wireless was truly unlimited, you were wrong. The service has always been capped at 5 GB of data transfer per month, even though Verizon's marketing material said it was unlimited. After taking some heat, Verizon Wireless is making it more clear to customers that there is a limit.
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iPhone Dead After 40 Minutes?
That's what John C. Dvorak claims in his podcast, anyway. Citing an internal Cingular product tester, the iPhone only provides for 40 minutes of talk time and the interface crashes all the time. I taste some sour apples here.
Continue reading "iPhone Dead After 40 Minutes?..."
Guess What, Steve -- I Don't Love It (Remix)
Over the years I have received my share of e-mail calling me an idiot, but I never got more than I've gotten for yesterday's blog entry titled "Guess What, Steve, I Don't Love It." And guess what? In this case I deserve it. I try, as a personal goal, to reply to all the e-mail I get from readers that doesn't contain obscenities, and the more mail I answered today about my commentary on Apple's announcement of DRM-free music, the more trouble I had defending it.
Continue reading "Guess What, Steve -- I Don't Love It (Remix)..."
Forecast Says Money To Be Made In Mobile Security
IDC released a new forecast that names the mobile device security software sector as a hot prospect for businesses to explore. Security services already bring in $200 million in revenue today and will only continue to rake in the cash as more and more enterprises figure out they should be protecting their assets.
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Research: 203 Million Linux Phones By 2012
According to ABI Research, Linux is attacking the mobile phone market in order to bring Linux to the handset environment. Research director Stuart Carlaw even goes so far as to say, "Linux in the cellular phone is not a question of 'if,' but 'when.'"
Continue reading "Research: 203 Million Linux Phones By 2012..."
Five Signs That India Isn't Just For Back Office Work Anymore
Of late, there have appeared a number of not-so-subtle signs that India is moving well beyond its traditional role as host for low-level back office and IT work from the West. The only question now seems to be when (not if) we'll see the first U.S. corporation move its headquarters and CEO to the subcontinent. Here's what to watch for:
Continue reading "Five Signs That India Isn't Just For Back Office Work Anymore..."
A Mac-Related Announcement From Microsoft For MIX?
Microsoft is promising a bunch of news at its annual MIX web developer conference at the end of this month, from a "still-secret 'Technology X'" to help Web developers create new experiences to a keynote from the recently reclusive Ray Ozzie, a peek at the future of Internet Explorer and new ways to build applications on top of Microsoft's Live (online) platform. But what's the blockbuster news? A source I spoke with today, who recently spoke with Microsoft about MIX news, says that the news had already been leaked. And it appears to be about the Mac.
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Gray: Brilliant Researcher With An Indelible Personal Touch
In an industry that has consistently exploited its research for rapid financial gains, Jim Gray stood out as caring more about the research than the gains. "Jim used to say, 'I love astronomy data 'cause it's worthless. It's got no commercial value'," recalls Alex Szalay, professor of astronomy at Johns Hopkins.
Continue reading "Gray: Brilliant Researcher With An Indelible Personal Touch..."
Will The iPhone Allow Apple To Capture All Three Screens?
Bill Day at BillDay.com ponders the possibility that the iPhone will allow Apple to capture all three screens -- the desktop, the TV, and the mobile phone. Right now Apple looks pretty well-positioned for an integrated multimedia platform: The Mac is strong, iTunes is still dominant, Apple has launched Apple TV, and in June the iPhone will complete the company's offerings.
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Carnival Of Mobilists #67
The Carnival of Mobilists #67 is up over at Wap Review. This edition's topics include the future of smartphones, mobile content creation, mobile marketing news from CTIA, the mobile user experience, the walled mobile content garden, and, of course, the iPhone.
Picsel Makes Mobile Browsing Less Painful
The mobile Internet, while becoming cool and more useful every day, still has a long way to go. Viewing Web pages or documents on tiny screens just doesn't compare to the desktop browsing experience. Web pages are often squashed, elongated, impossible to read, and unusable in the mobile environment, no matter how big the screen or how speedy the data connection. One company is helping to change that.
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Guess What, Steve -- I Don't Love It
"We think our customers are going to love this," said Steve Jobs in Apple's press release yesterday announcing that its iTunes store would sell DRM-free versions of EMI's music catalog. Wrong. I like it, but, please, Steve, stop doing me favors that (1) raise music prices 30% and (2) force me to take the extra steps to remove your AAC encoding.
Continue reading "Guess What, Steve -- I Don't Love It..."
False Words From Qualcomm CEO Paul Jacobs?
In a Financial Times article that appeared on Sunday, Paul Jacobs, CEO of CDMA technology developer Qualcomm, was quoted as saying he hopes Armageddon can be avoided between his company and Nokia when their existing patent agreement ends next Monday. Today, Qualcomm slapped Nokia with yet more patent-related lawsuits. What gives, Paul?
Continue reading "False Words From Qualcomm CEO Paul Jacobs?..."
Mexico City To Launch Municipal Wireless
Mexico City Mayor Marcelo Ebrard yesterday inked a deal with China's ZTE to set up wireless hotspots that will connect municipal services and agencies. Ebrard hopes to expand the network to offer city-wide municipal wireless service for the city's residents, even as Mexico City struggles to offer basic services like water and electricity.
Continue reading "Mexico City To Launch Municipal Wireless..."
Steve Jobs And EMI End DRM And Start Price Gouging
The deal announced today between Apple and EMI to sell unprotected digital songs on iTunes for $1.29 isn't a deal. It's a 30% piracy tax, substantially more than the 3% tax levied on blank digital audio recording media in the United States.
Never mind that Jobs is right and DRM should go. Charging a third more under the pretense of higher fidelity and greater freedom is just a rip-off.
Continue reading "Steve Jobs And EMI End DRM And Start Price Gouging..."
Google's April Fools'
This year's first day of April wasn't the usual workday hoot, since it fell on a Sunday. However, the guys at Google had a good time, posting on their site news of a faux beta for a high-speed Internet service running through your, er, toilet.
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CIOs Wanted For Important Software Survey
My good friend M.R. Rangaswami, founder of the Sand Hill Group and head of the upcoming Software 2007 conference, is partnering with McKinsey on an interesting survey on software usage trends and innovation. I encourage you to participate. I've negotiating with M.R. to get members of the "CIO Nation" who link to the survey from here a free copy of the finished report. Also, M.R. has extended complimentary registration to the CIO Dialogue portion of Software 2007, just click here:
Here's M.R.'s request and the link to the survey:
The software industry is in the midst of a wave of innovation that will create the foundation for customer and vendor value in the next era. McKinsey & Company, in collaboration with the SandHill group and CMP media, are launching a brief survey to understand the software customer's perspectives on current software trends and innovation, and will present the aggregate results describing these conclusions in a series of reports for the Software 2007 conference. We would like to invite you to participate in our brief online survey to provide your perspectives on the Software industry.
Participating is easy, and should take less than five minutes of your time. Just click here to provide your perspectives between now and Friday, April 6th. You will also be given the option at the conclusion of the survey to provide an email address if you would like to be mailed the summarized reports at the conclusion of the research in May. All results will, of course, be kept confidential, and only aggregated responses and data will be part of the report.
Copyrights And Copy Wrongs
Anyone who downloads music or videos from the Internet should read David DeJean's analysis of copyright laws, how they affect you, and how to enjoy creative works without breaking the law. Really good stuff.
Continue reading "Copyrights And Copy Wrongs..."
Apple Snags DRM-Free Music Deal With EMI
For all the haters of digital rights management, Apple scored a victory on your behalf by announcing an agreement with EMI Music to sell the record company's songs free of DRM.
Continue reading "Apple Snags DRM-Free Music Deal With EMI..."
Palm Makes The Rounds At Jupiter
If you've ever received medical care at a state-of-the-art facility, you've likely seen physicians and nurses hurrying to and fro with some form of mobile technology in their hands. Not wanting to be left out the current technology revolution, the physicians at Jupiter Medical Center are using a combined solution from AT&T, Palm, and McKesson to access electronic medical records and more. Given the amount of information generated by hospitals, anything that health systems can do to speed up services, reduce errors, and increase effectiveness is generally a good thing.
Continue reading "Palm Makes The Rounds At Jupiter..."
Mobile Banking Is About To Go Mainstream
Citibank today launched a mobile banking service that lets customers pay bills, check account information, and other basic online functions through their mobile phones. The new service, dubbed Citi Mobile, will be available for Citibank customers in Southern California through a download this week at Citibank.com and will expand across the United States this summer.
Continue reading "Mobile Banking Is About To Go Mainstream..."
The Web 2.0 MVNO
Juha Christensen, a former head of Microsoft's mobile business and a founder of Symbian, today launched a new MVNO (that's Mobile Virtual Network Operator, or wireless service reseller, for those of you who don't speak telecom) called Sonopia. Sonopia offers a back-end solution that allows any business to launch its own branded wireless phone service.
Continue reading "The Web 2.0 MVNO..."
Join Me For Regional CIO Breakfasts
I've stayed in touch with a great many of you through informal breakfasts and lunches I've held throughout the country with a half-dozen or so CIOs at a time. I'm putting together a schedule of more breakfasts for the spring and summer, and I hope to meet you for some great conversation and networking among your peers. This season's theme: "CIO 2.0." Even though we try not to structure the conversations too much, the next-generation of the CIO in the business seems to be on everyone's radar. So, if you're interested in getting together with me -- and in some regions I'll be joined by Optimize/InformationWeek editor Stephanie Stahl or Optimize executive editor Paula Klein -- as well as some of your colleages, let me know ASAP (provide your feedback on this blog, or e-mail me at bgillooly@cmp.com). We'll try to configure the schedule based on responses and try to fit the visits to your schedule, but the first breakfast is in Washington, DC, on Tuesday, May 1. We also plan on visiting New York, Boston, Atlanta, Phoenix, and San Francisco. This is sponsorship-free, the only obligation is an appetite for good food and good conversation. Believe it or not, I just want to know what's on your mind! And I'd be happy to share with you what's on mine (for example, how to shift to dynamic budgeting so you can better fund growth opportunities and stop plowing so much money into maintenance...)
Podcast: Interview With Stephen Wellman, Editor Of InformationWeek's Over The Air Mobile Blog
Listen to the latest Informationweek Podcast for our interview with Over The Air editor Stephen Wellman about the goings-on at the CTIA conference. Stephen talked to us about Yahoo vs. Google on the mobile Internet, the Apple iPhone, how Google is following Microsoft's strategy, and more.
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