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05/23/2013 04:30:54 Daily, August 16Citrix Buying XenSource To Tap Red-Hot Virtualization Market
 | InformationWeek Daily - Thursday, Aug 16, 2007 |
 BlackBerrys: So Easy A Caveman Could Do It
There's a reason why Research In Motion's BlackBerry devices posted strong results in an enterprise survey. They work. They're simple to use. And they don't throw their users into an existential identity crisis.
I don't know about anyone else, but I find those Geico.com commercials featuring cavemen to be humorous. Whoever thought them up must have been fans of the old Saturday Night Live Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer skits with Phil Hartman. Either way, RIM could almost adopt them as their own.
The first time I was assigned a BlackBerry was a couple of years ago. After the IT administrator walked me through the enterprise activation, everything else was a snap. RIM makes them so intuitive to use that anyone can figure them out in about 5 minutes. Including cavemen. Aside from delivering an unending stream of e-mails to your hip, they also run a host of third-party applications that let enterprise workers be productive when out in the field. So, it's no big surprise that enterprise professionals rank them highly.
I have to take exception with one aspect of the survey, though. The study mentions that BlackBerrys and smartphones made by other manufacturers haven't penetrated the rank and file employees too well. It goes on to say that BlackBerrys remain the working tools of C-level types, as well as IT workers and sales staff.
My question is, why would the rank and file need one? If they're not mobile workers, if they remain at their desks from 9-5 every Monday through Friday, there's no apparent financial or business incentive to be gained by providing them with 24/7 access to their e-mail.
RIM and its competitors man not have convinced every enterprise employee on earth to use smartphones yet, but I don't think they need to.
Eric Zeman
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"Listening to the Fifth Symphony of Ralph Vaughan Williams is like staring at a cow for forty-five minutes." -- Aaron Copland
Citrix Buying XenSource To Tap Red-Hot Virtualization Market
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XenSource Steps Up The Competition On Eve Of VMware IPO
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Boeing Launches Broadband Satellite
The installation includes a digital processor, downlink phased array antenna, microwave switch matrix, and flight hardware for improved connectivity.
Hollywood Blamed For Scientific Ignorance
Some scientists are slack-jawed at the thought that people believe sinking in lava is even possible, not to mention leaping onto the wings of hovering fighter jet.
Report: Executive IT Recruitment Is Slowing Down
Nearly 14% fewer executive searches in the second quarter compared with earlier in 2007 may be a sign of things to come, according to researchers with the Association of Executive Search Consultants.
With XenSource, Citrix Sees A Two-Pronged Virtualization Strategy
The company outlines its product vision, which includes one For Xen and one For Microsoft Viridian.
When It Comes To IT, The Army Is Ready To Experiment
Partners take note: The Army has been involved with as many as 35 alpha and beta tests at once, all to make sure vendors fit its needs once things hit production.
VA Gets Tech Boost, Dell Gets Massive Contract
The three-year contract includes 249,000 computers for agency employees who serve nearly 75 million people eligible for veterans' services and benefits
Zero-Day Bug In Yahoo Messenger Pops Up
The heap overflow vulnerability can be triggered when a user accepts a Webcam invite, according to McAfee researchers.
Researchers Create Environmentally Safe, Paper-Like Battery
The battery can function in temperatures up to 300 degrees Fahrenheit and down to 100 degrees below zero.
Battling The Latest Weapon In Domestic Abuse -- Spyware
Domestic abuse advocates and a McAfee researcher warn that abusers are increasingly using spyware, keyloggers, and GPS devices to track and intimidate victims.
Blu-ray Outpaces HD-DVD In U.S.
Blu-ray high-definition movie discs outsold films on the rival HD-DVD format by 2-to-1 in the first half of 2007, Home Media Research said Tuesday.
Xandros Licenses Microsoft Exchange Protocols
The agreement means the Scalix mail server will be able to synchronize data better with platforms that use Exchange Server.
Beatles fan Steve Jobs can now boast one of the top-rated albums of all times, plus 15 other Lennon albums, in his online music store.
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Virtualization At The Desktop?
The BI Explosion
Hi-Ho, Silver! Google and Microsoft Ride To Health Care's Rescue
Microsoft and Google are working on major digital health-care information initiatives, the New York Times reports. There's a suggestion that these two can make a dent in the sorry state of digital health information because they can throw money, brainpower, and storage at it. Unfortunately, that's not what's been missing.
Facebook Joins The iPhone Crowd
Facebook released a version of its site for the iPhone today, attempting (like so many others) to capitalize on the success of Apple's sleek new mobile device.
Arctic Cooler Chills Down My Intel Quad-Core Processor
Processor cooling fans are normally as exciting as your average oil filter. So imagine my surprise when the most noteworthy item (after the processor itself) in the latest PC build project I've undertaken turned out to be. . . the cooling fan.
Mac OS X 'Leopard' Hacked To Run On Generic Wintel Hardware
The bloggers at Profit42 posted instructions that they claim will get the upcoming version of Mac OS X, code-named "Leopard," running on generic Wintel hardware. Two catches: It's illegal to do, and they won't tell you where to get the software, because that would be illegal, too.
Research: Mobile Phones To Be Video Terminals
This year, people are going to spend $1 billion on video calling, video mail and video sharing services. That figure will swell to $17 billion in just five years. Is mobile video really going to be that popular?
Was Journalist A Jerk For Asking Apple About 'Intel Inside'?
You can tell it's August because people are finding the weirdest issues to get worked up about. For example, Apple fans are getting their knickers in a twist about whether a journalist was out of line in asking Steve Jobs about why Apple didn't participate in the "Intel Inside" marketing campaign.
Taking A Chance On Startups
In case you haven't noticed, startups are back. And not just the Web 2.0 kind that appeal to hyper-connected youth. Today, new companies aiming to solve complex enterprise problems are sprouting up as if the dot-com bust never happened.
Imagine John Lennon On iTunes
It's easy if you try... Now Lennon and Beatles fans can wake up from their Number 9 Dream and sing out in unison: "All we are saying... is do you take checks or cash?"
What Makes For A Good CIO?
Anyone wanting to be a CIO should have his or her head examined. To judge from a recent CIO appointment, it might help!
How to Succeed with Offshore Software Testing When Almost Everyone Else Fails
Business Technology Marketing Benchmarks 2007-2008 PDF Slides
Apparel Manufacturer Improves Business Processes Using Everest Software
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