Microsoft: Vistagami Rising [BusinessWeek]

 I expect this form factor will be quite popular at some point, especially with eyewear products such as those from MicroOptical

Next month, at CES, Microsoft will be back with another round of the tiny computers. The latest tablets, code-named Vistagami because of their Windows Vista support, also will come in a wider range of looks, including some models with keyboards. Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates is expected to mention some of the new devices in his CES keynote as part of a broader discussion of the new types of computers that will be enabled with Vista, including new all-in-one PCs and other esoteric designs.

Source: Microsoft: Vistagami Rising

Microsoft's Remodeled Office [BusinessWeek]

 Another on-balance-ambivalent review of Office 2007.  The $149 (for 3 PCs) part is an important reality check, but of course that edition doesn't include Outlook, and Exchange Server reportedly no longer includes an Outlook CAL.

You'll have to decide if ribbons and other improvements are worth the learning curve—and the money. The cheapest version of Office 2007 is the $149 Home & Student Edition. It can be installed on up to three PCs, and includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote, an application for taking notes. More extensive packages range from $239 to $679. If you are happy with your current version of Office, there's no compelling reason to rush out and buy Office 2007.

Source: Microsoft's Remodeled Office

For Saddam's Page in History, A Final Link On YouTube - washingtonpost.com

Sign of the times... 

The public will find exactly as much of the death of Hussein as it wants, and people will watch for as long as it holds any novelty or fascination. Taste is a collective worry, but in this new world of viral videos, you can construct your own war, personally tailored to your personal bloodlust. Saddam Hussein is dead, the video is out there. Enjoy.

Source: For Saddam's Page in History, A Final Link On YouTube - washingtonpost.com

Apple Panel on Options Backs Chief - New York Times

IANAL, but I think this cheer is premature. 

Investors were cheered by the news, which was contained in the annual report Apple filed with securities regulators; Apple’s stock rose 4.9 percent to close at $84.84. But the report failed to completely remove a cloud hanging over the company as a result of the backdating of options and improper record keeping, especially concerning two large option grants made to Mr. Jobs in 2000 and 2001.

Source: Apple Panel on Options Backs Chief - New York Times

Apple Admits Wrongdoing But Rallies Around Leader - washingtonpost.com

Why do I get the sense this episode is ultimately going to be bad news for Jobs, and now for Gore as well?  See the article for an event time line and other details. 

Apple's board, which includes former vice president Al Gore, gave Jobs its full support. "The board of directors is confident that the Company has corrected the problems that led to the restatement, and it has complete confidence in Steve Jobs and the senior management team," said the statement by Gore and Jerome York, who heads Apple's audit and finance committee.

Source: Apple Admits Wrongdoing But Rallies Around Leader - washingtonpost.com

BBC NEWS | Technology | Wikipedia creator turns to search

Back to basics... 

The Search Wikia project will not rely on computer algorithms to determine how relevant webpages are to keywords.

Instead the results generated by the search engine will be decided and edited by humans.

Source: BBC NEWS | Technology | Wikipedia creator turns to search

Ford Aims to Jazz Up Its Fleet With Microsoft Pact - WSJ.com

Fascinating to see automobile manufacturers competing in this context 

The Dearborn, Mich., auto maker will unveil next month a hands-free Bluetooth wireless system and in-vehicle operating system developed by Microsoft that will eventually be an option for its entire Ford brand lineup, according to people familiar with the matter. The new system, to be dubbed Sync, will allow for hands-free cellphone communication and other wireless information transfers inside the car, including the ability to receive email and download music, these people said.

Source: Ford Aims to Jazz Up Its Fleet With Microsoft Pact - WSJ.com

Computing | Work-life balance | Economist.com

Timely snapshot 

In the past, innovation was driven by the military or corporate markets. But now the consumer market, with its vast economies of scale and appetite for novelty, leads the way. Compared with the staid corporate-software industry, using these services is like “receiving technology from an advanced civilisation”, says Mr Sannier. He is now looking at other consumer technologies for ideas. He is already using Apple's iTunes, a popular online-music service, to store the university's podcasts.

Source: Computing | Work-life balance | Economist.com

Peter O'Kelly's Reality Check: more fun with XML syndication

It seems now my old and new feeds are both working, but for some mysterious reason I had to unsubscribe and re-add the old feed (in FeedDemon, to be specific) before it started showing updates again.

Link to Peter O'Kelly's Reality Check

Tech.view | Hasta la Vista | Economist.com

Timely snapshot; read the full article for more details. 

FROM the end of January any Windows-based personal computer that you buy will come with a new version of Microsoft's operating system, called Vista. Make no mistake, this is more than just a slicker, prettier version of Microsoft’s current operating system for desktop computers, Windows XP. Vista is considerably quicker, easier and more pleasant to use, and far more stable and secure, than was its predecessor. One of its particular attractions is its more intuitive way of storing, organising and locating files. Included too are better parental controls, a built-in DVD maker, and lots of other improvements. In many ways, especially in its look and feel and ease of use, Vista out-Macs the Mac’s latest operating system—the Tiger version of OS X. However, that could change when Apple releases its Leopard version of OS X in spring.

Source: Tech.view | Hasta la Vista | Economist.com

Open-source leader leaving Novell for Google | CNET News.com

Lose some, win some... 

Jeremy Allison, a high-profile open-source programmer, has resigned from Novell because of objections over its patent deal with Microsoft and is moving to Google.

[...]

Meanwhile, Novell has rehired another open-source figure, Hubert Mantel, a co-founder of Suse Linux. He left the company in November 2005, but returned in December of this year. "I had more than one year of time to think about my future and came to the conclusion that the thing I'm most interested in still is Linux," he said in an interview with the online magazine Data Manager.

Source: Open-source leader leaving Novell for Google | CNET News.com

The Seattle Times: Business & Technology: Google exec heaps praise on local office

 Interesting approach -- tbd if this will scale better than the everybody-in-Redmond Microsoft model.

[Google Engineering Vice President Douglas Merrill:] Google's unusual in a couple of ways. We open engineering offices where the talent is, rather than bringing talent to a location. ... [In Kirkland] we have north of 250 employees, and we're approaching 200 engineers. It's just an incredible growth rate in two years.

We don't have specialized engineering offices... Each of our engineering offices have a personality, a flavor. But fundamentally each office works on the entire panoply of Google products and services

Source: The Seattle Times: Business & Technology: Google exec heaps praise on local office

Waiting on Apple Cellphone Call - WSJ.com

 I think it'd take Apple at least two or three releases to get a phone right, and it will likely take years to catch up to the level of scope and stability that Windows Mobile and Symbian have achieved. 

Entering the cellphone business likely would give Apple a huge revenue boost, which would be good for current shareholders over the long term. For the moment, however, the stock is trading at lofty prices, so now might not be the right time to jump in, especially if Apple disappoints Wall Street by not unveiling the phone next month or stumbles in rolling it out.

Source: Heard on the Street - WSJ.com

Blogger's sloppy stumble out of beta | Webware : Cool web apps for everyone

Apparently I have a lot of company, wedged between Blogger versions... 

But things don't appear to have gone entirely smoothly. According to some Blogger readers, the software exited beta in the manner of an egg nog-filled guest leaving a Christmas party.

We received a tip this morning from a reader who claimed that her Blogger account had been more or less frozen: she could not post to her blog or read comments. "The Blogger Help Group is littered with increasingly desperate postings from people like myself," she added.

Source: Blogger's sloppy stumble out of beta | Webware : Cool web apps for everyone

PC World calls PS3 a top tech mistake of 2006 | PS3 News | GamePro.com

Ouch...  See the full list (full list link) for more, and this snapshot for the PS3-specific assessment. 

PC World's Dan Tynan has released a new article titled "The 21 biggest technology mistakes of 2006." The number eight entry? The PlayStation 3.

Zune: #17

(Thanks, Andrew)

Source: PC World calls PS3 a top tech mistake of 2006 | PS3 News | GamePro.com

Analyst: Zune finding some willing ears | CNET News.com

 Another Zune progress update

Also, while the Zune has a double-digit share among similarly priced models, it has a far smaller slice of the overall market, Bhavnani said. He noted that although the Zune is in a strong part of the market, the bulk of sales are for cheaper products such as Apple's $79 iPod Shuffle, which he said is "flying off the shelves."

Still, he said it is an impressive start for the company, which has acknowledged that trying to catch up with the iPod is likely to be an expensive, multi-year effort.

Source: Analyst: Zune finding some willing ears | CNET News.com

Argh! Blogger broke my blog

The new Blogger model has switched my site feed and I can't find a way to switch it back. In the meantime, try this feed. Any pointers from other Blogger "upgrade" victims would be appreciated...

Nintendo slapped with suit over Wii strap | News.blog | CNET News.com

Inevitable...

File this under "c'mon, you had to see this one coming." Just days after Nintendo announced that it would voluntarily exchange 3.2 million Wii remote straps due to reports of the parts breaking and even causing bodily harm comes news of a lawsuit against the company.

Source: Nintendo slapped with suit over Wii strap News.blog CNET News.com

At the Heart of the Wii, Micron-Size Machines - New York Times

Cool -- read the article for more details 

The controllers communicate with the Wii console, a $250 box no larger than a child’s lunchbox, with the wireless technology known as Bluetooth. It is the means commonly used to link cellphones with their wireless headsets. The Wii remote also uses infrared, the same technology that links television sets with their remote controllers, to track where the controller is pointed.

Source: At the Heart of the Wii, Micron-Size Machines - New York Times

Stars Find Privacy Breached In Aspen by Phone Book - WSJ.com

Privacy violations, the old-fashioned way... 

When the Yellow Book directory for Aspen, Colo. came out recently, residents of this ultra-chic ski town found it contained more than the usual list of local bars, hair salons and ski shops.

It also included the previously unpublished addresses of actor Jack Nicholson, former Walt Disney Co. boss Michael Eisner and the deceased ex-chairman of Enron Corp. Kenneth Lay, among other celebrities and executives accustomed to keeping their contact information unpublished. The incident was first reported in the Aspen Daily News.

Source: Stars Find Privacy Breached In Aspen by Phone Book - WSJ.com

Writer Zone -- FYI re Blogger update

Sorry about the extended down period yesterday; Blogger was updating my blog to its new format, and what was supposed to take a few minutes took a few hours. 

FYI if you use Blogger with Windows Live Writer, as I do, you'll want to download the latest update to the latter after you update the former. 

Windows Live Writer is a desktop application that makes it easier to compose compelling blog posts using Windows Live Spaces or your current blog service. 

Blogging has turned the web into a two-way communications medium. Our goal in creating Writer is to help make blogging more powerful, intuitive, and fun for everyone.

Source: Writer Zone

Technology Review: Literacy and Text Messaging

And multitasking as well... 

"In coming years literacy will mean knowing how to choose between print, image, video, sound, and all the potential combinations they could create to make a particular point with a specific audience," says Bronwyn Williams, associate professor of English at the University of Louisville. "What will not change is the necessity of an individual to be able to find a purpose, correctly analyze an audience, and communicate to that audience with information and in a tone that audience will find persuasive, engaging, and intelligent."

Source: Technology Review: Literacy and Text Messaging

Google Operating System: Google Pushing Blogger... Really Hard

Hmm...  See the post for details. 

It's no secret that Google uses AdWords to promote its products. If you search for "blogger" you'll have a surprise (for "blog" the situation is similar). Basically, there's a very slim chance someone will go to other site than blogger.com. Why?

Source: Google Operating System: Google Pushing Blogger... Really Hard

» Can Microsoft’s ‘Harmonica’ create P2P harmony across all devices? | All about Microsoft | ZDNet.com

2007 is going to be a great year for DBMS fans 

In fact, there is a team inside the SQL Server database unit that is building an end-to-end, P2P data synchronization platform, code-named "Harmonica," that is designed to fulfill that task, according to sources close to the company.

Unlike some of Microsoft's other "anytime, anywhere" schemes, Harmonica doesn't seem to be complete vaporware. Microsoft's Windows Live Favorites synchronization capability is based on Harmonica, sources said.

Source: » Can Microsoft’s ‘Harmonica’ create P2P harmony across all devices? | All about Microsoft | ZDNet.com

A Search for Ourselves - washingtonpost.com

Interesting times 

This year, in addition to the predictable current events, celebrities and trends summing up 2006, Google's list seems to support the idea behind Time magazine's Person of the Year award, which was given to "You."

The top search terms were words related to user-generated content, such as blogs, social networking sites and podcasts.

Source: A Search for Ourselves - washingtonpost.com

Google Steps More Boldly Into PayPal’s Territory - New York Times

Ah, so it's more like Google HailStorm... 

Unlike PayPal, a full-fledged payment system that can be used to transfer money between individuals and can draw funds directly from bank accounts, Checkout merely offers users an easy way to use their credit cards. Checkout users enter their credit card information, shipping and billing address into Google’s system. Then, they can pay with Checkout at participating stores without having to enter their personal information again and again.

Source: Google Steps More Boldly Into PayPal’s Territory - New York Times

Video, John Chambers - Cisco Buys Into Digital Signage - CRN

Quarter-million dollar web conferencing room equipment, digital signage -- an interesting view of the edge of the network.  Some clear synergy with Cisco's Scientific Atlanta acquisition. 

"We feel there is enormous potential for digital signage to be integrated into our existing enterprise streaming and live video broadcasting platform," said Marthin De Beer, senior vice president of the Emerging Market Technologies Group at Cisco, San Jose, Calif. "This will allow Cisco to provide live video, video-on-demand, and other rich media content to desktops and digital signage displays using IP for applications such as targeted communications, advertising and training."

Source: Video, John Chambers - Cisco Buys Into Digital Signage - CRN

Offline Involuntarily - New York Times

This is one of several reasons why I signed up for a wide-area wireless card (from Cingular). 

The challenge for hotels is that more people are using the Internet for more things these days, not just to check e-mail messages, but to make phone calls, download TV shows and do videoconferencing, all of which require more bandwidth and more tech support when things do not work. Add to the mix the quirks of different operating systems, Web browsers and corporate security settings, not to mention travelers who are not necessarily tech-savvy themselves, and it is no surprise that hotels are struggling to provide reliable service.

Source: Offline Involuntarily - New York Times

Don Dodge on The Next Big Thing: Web Boom 2.0 - Is it different this time?

Interesting analysis -- see the post for details 

In my opinion the main difference between the Dot Com Boom and the Web 2.0 Boom is who will get hurt when the bubble bursts. During the Dot Com Boom those companies took their IPOs to the NASDAQ where small individual investors were left holding the bag. Today these companies are not public. The VCs and acquiring companies will be hurt when the Web 2.0 bubble bursts.

Source: Don Dodge on The Next Big Thing: Web Boom 2.0 - Is it different this time?

Skype founders to launch Web TV service | CNET News.com

 Multi-category disruptors...

A broadband television service developed by the founders of Internet calling program Skype is expected to be launched next year, the Financial Times reported on Monday.

Some 6,000 individuals have already been testing the service, named the Venice Project, the newspaper said.

Source: Skype founders to launch Web TV service | CNET News.com

An Ominous Milestone: 100 Million Data Leaks - New York Times

Read the article for some debate dimensions, e.g., data loss is not 1:1 with identity theft 

“Rapid-fire announcements this week by U.C.L.A. (800,000 records) and Aetna (130,000) moved the total to the threshold, when Boeing revealed yesterday that a laptop recently stolen from an employee’s car contained names, Social Security numbers and other data on 382,000 current and former employees of the aerospace giant — bringing the total to a grim 100,152,801 records (as of this post).”

Source: An Ominous Milestone: 100 Million Data Leaks - New York Times

Paul Kedrosky's Infectious Greed: Web Boom 2.0 is Okay: Wrong

Speaking of wrong, I was, in my earlier Time post; apparently Time no longer requires an id/pw for access to articles (so you can, for example, read the "paean" cover story referenced below). It did when I last checked, which is why I hadn't checked for a long time...

Josh Quittner is wrong in his Time magazine paean to all thing Web 2.0. Far from being different from the prior dot-com boom, this boom is achingly similar, with the main difference being that it is cheaper this time to get yourself in just as deep -- and this time there is no IPO market to bail you out.

Source: Paul Kedrosky's Infectious Greed: Web Boom 2.0 is Okay: Wrong

Google Operating System: Google Phone?

Interesting times 

Last month, Eric Schmidt said: "Your mobile phone should be free. It just makes sense that subsidies should increase"

Source: Google Operating System: Google Phone?

BBC NEWS | Technology | 'You' named Time's person of 2006

Kind of ironic, since Time requires a subscriber id/pw for access to its content these days.

"You" have been named as Time magazine's Person of the Year for the growth and influence of user-generated content on the internet.

Source: BBC NEWS Technology 'You' named Time's person of 2006

You Had Me At EHLO... : A demo of many new features for Outlook Web Access 2007

Impressive... 

This is a Flash demo showing off some of the great new features for Outlook Web Access 2007:
http://www.microsoft.com/exchange/code/OWA/index.html

Source: You Had Me At EHLO... : A demo of many new features for Outlook Web Access 2007

Amazon Dispute Could Put IBM Software Customers In Legal Jeopardy - Patent Infringement, WebSphere

Pick your battles... 

That could be bad news for the thousands of IBM customers who depend on WebSphere and other IBM middleware to facilitate communication between key business applications.

And it would be horrible news for IBM itself if the court finds in favor of Amazon. In the third quarter, WebSphere and other middleware products generated $3.4 billion in revenue for IBM, accounting for 77% of its software sales for the period.

However, Amazon's lead attorney in the case says that the Web merchant is, for now at least, not likely interested in pursuing WebSphere users. "Amazon's goal is to be left alone to conduct its business and not be bothered by people like IBM," says Ruffin Cordell, an attorney at Washington, D.C.-based Fish & Richardson, which is handling the case for Amazon.

Source: Amazon Dispute Could Put IBM Software Customers In Legal Jeopardy - Patent Infringement, WebSphere

Rough Type: Nicholas Carr's Blog: Your new IT budget: $10

Another timely reality check 

Yesterday, Google put a suitable exclamation point to the end of 2006 when it announced that it was adding a domain registration option to its Apps for Your Domain service. Small businesses, schools, and other organizations will now be able to buy and set up a domain when they sign up for the Google service. And the other elements of that service will be immediately and automatically configured to run on that domain. The cost for the registration is a flat $10 a year. There's nothing at all interesting about that price - it's pretty much what you'd pay if you registered your domain yourself (and Microsoft will even give you a domain for free through its Office Live service). But I find that, by further simplifying the creation of what amounts to a virtual data center, the move brings into clearer view the future landscape of business IT.

Source: Rough Type: Nicholas Carr's Blog: Your new IT budget: $10

Amazon Strikes Back At IBM With Lawsuit - WSJ.com

Who needs reality TV when we have lawyers?... 

"While IBM tries to cloak its rhetoric in the legitimacy of patents laws, there is nothing legitimate in IBM's claims" and IBM's lawsuits "amount to a claim that IBM invented the Internet," Amazon's attorney wrote in a filing added to the two lawsuits on Thursday.

In response to Amazon's new claims, IBM spokesman Kendra Collins wrote in an email that "Amazon's assertions defy reality. This is nothing more than a transparent litigation ploy. Amazon … relies on caustic rhetoric to distract attention from its own infringement."

Source: Amazon Strikes Back At IBM With Lawsuit - WSJ.com

Jeff Raikes interview -- the whole thing from Guardian Unlimited: Technology

Read the full interview for more on Office 2007, web-centric Office scenarios, etc.  Via Scoble. 

Jack Schofield: Before we get going, did you write the Gates memo?

JR: Which memo are you referring to?

JS: The 1985 memo that Bill Gates sent to Apple, saying "you ought to license Mac OS to make it an industry standard." (http://www.scripting.com/specials/gatesLetter/text.html)

JR: I did. It's funny, there's a great irony in that memo, in that I was absolutely sincere in wanting the Macintosh to succeed, because that was the heart of our applications business at the time. And Apple somehow decided it was a devious plot and that I was the devil....

The irony is that I think if they'd taken the advice in the memo, we'd probably have ended up seeing the Mac be more successful and Windows perhaps not quite as successful, so I guess it all worked out OK in the end!

Source: Jeff Raikes interview -- the whole thing from Guardian Unlimited: Technology

Collaborative Thinking: Knowledge Management 2.0 - Editorial - CIO

Mike Gotta reality check on knowledge management -- read the full post 

Given the need for growth and innovation, CXO's are investigating ways to harness the intellectual capital within their organization and extended network of customer, partner and supplier relationships. But any reader take-away that what we need is a new round of technology silver-bullets would be unfortunate. I'm having a bad flashback to the KM hype of the nineties sometimes applied nowadays to blogs, wikis and so on. Below are some reactions to various aspects of the article.

Source: Collaborative Thinking: Knowledge Management 2.0 - Editorial - CIO

The Seattle Times: Brier Dudley's blog

 Looked kinda cute, until it blue-screened my PC; maybe I should have launched it in Firefox instead of IE...

Want some lip with your search results?

Try Ms. Dewey, the zingy talking search engine/viral marketing ploy dreamed up by Microsoft's Windows Live team.

Ms. Dewey is actually actress Janina Gavankar. Enter a search term, and she gives you some sass and results from Windows Live. It gets fun when you start entering terms like Google, Apple and Playstation.

Source: The Seattle Times: Brier Dudley's blog

Nintendo to Replace 3.2 Million Straps for Wii Game Consoles - WSJ.com

Oops... 

Nintendo said Friday it will replace 3.2 million straps for its popular Wii computer game consoles after the Japanese game maker received a rash of reports that the device flew out of the hands of enthusiastic players.

The wand-like remote control is used to mimic the motions of a tennis racket, golf club or sword, depending on the game. But soon after the Wii went on sale last month, people started reporting cases of the control's strap breaking as they waved it about vigorously.

Source: Nintendo to Replace 3.2 Million Straps for Wii Game Consoles - WSJ.com

Technology Review: P2P: From Internet Scourge to Savior

Timely reality check 

Even BitTorrent, an advanced P2P network long seen by movie and record executives as an irksome successor to Napster and Kazaa, is going mainstream. The company announced early this month that it had raised $20 million in a second round of venture-capital funding and acquired competitor ?Torrent (pronounced "microtorrent"), maker of a compact version of the BitTorrent software meant to be suitable for set-top boxes and other non-PC devices. BitTorrent--which speeds up downloads by grabbing and reassembling file fragments from the most accessible peers on the network, rather than by transferring whole files from one peer to another--is still one of the best tools for locating and procuring Internet video. That's in part because it's free and in part because so many people use it and have built a worldwide archive of digital files.

Source: Technology Review: P2P: From Internet Scourge to Savior

I, Cringely . The Pulpit . Changing the Game | PBS

More timely and interesting perspectives from Cringely; read the full post. 

What's driving this trend beyond the simple needs of VCs trying to find good places for all that money is Google. Will there ever be another Internet success to rival Google? Not in this decade there won't. So rather than even trying to repeat Google, VCs participate in the Google ecosystem, the best example of which is YouTube, which just made a few VCs a LOT of money when it was purchased by Google for $1.65 billion.

But the very success of YouTube strongly suggests that there won't be another YouTube, simply because one site downloading 58 percent of all Internet videos and that site, in turn, being acquired by the second-biggest video downloading site that also has more money than God, well the YouTube guys would have to commit mass suicide to blow their lead at this point and I don't see that.

Source: I, Cringely . The Pulpit . Changing the Game | PBS

Gartner predicts Vista to be last major Windows - Yahoo! News

I boldly predict we'll be seeing fewer