Archive for July, 2010

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Microsoft needs a tablet strategy, not a tablet

July 31st, 2010
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Ballmer promised the world that a Windows 7 tablet is coming. Maybe it is, or maybe it’s just a pipedream, but Microsoft doesn’t need to focus on developing a Windows 7 tablet.

Microsoft does need to focus on having a strategy for taking advantage of the changing mobile computing market–but it doesn’t have to include a Windows 7 tablet.

The assurance of a Microsoft tablet from Ballmer seemed more like a macho reaction to a triple-dog dare than a legitimate Microsoft project. It’s as if the analysts and media challenged Ballmer’s manhood, and Ballmer couldn’t accept that Apple and Google have tablets without throwing Microsoft’s hat into the ring as well.

Here is what I have noticed, though: Exxon-Mobil does not build cars, and Coca Cola does not involve itself in manufacturing refrigerators. Exxon-Mobil wants to continue to ensure that its fuel is used in as many different vehicles as possible, and Coca-Cola would like to have its beverages in every refrigerator, but each focuses on how to adapt and improve its own products, and how to better market existing products, rather than trying to sell the cow and the milk at the same time.

Microsoft has strengths, and it has weaknesses. Rather than trying to overcome its weaknesses to flounder about in a futile attempt to compete in markets that aren’t its core business, Microsoft should focus on its strengths, and how to continue to evolve and adapt them to meet the changing needs of its customers.

At one point, mobility was about putting a Windows desktop into a more portable form factor, and supplying the world with Windows laptops, but the game has changed. That means that Microsoft does need to recognize that mobility is rapidly changing and determine where it fits in the new equation, but it doesn’t need to build the mobile platforms.

The rise of increasingly powerful and capable smartphones, and the introduction of the tablet revolution have shifted mobility away from Windows. The next generation of mobile computing relies on a mobile OS that is uniquely suited for mobile devices. Microsoft will shoot itself in the foot if it continues to try to make mobile computing about putting its Windows desktop operating system into new gadgets.

Most of the world relies on Microsoft Office for essential productivity software. Microsoft’s customers around are heavily invested in Microsoft server technologies like Exchange, SharePoint, and Office Communications Server, and they want tools to allow them to access the Microsoft backend while on the go.

Rather than wasting time and money pursuing a Microsoft-centric platform that would probably only capture 10 percent of the market anyway, Microsoft should be building its mobility strategy on developing cross-platform solutions, or platform-specific apps that enable the 90 percent of the market to continue using Microsoft software no matter what smartphone or tablet they choose.

Source:http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/202307/microsoft_needs_a_tablet_strategy_not_a_tablet.html?tk=hp_new

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Fans happy to be left with own devices as iPad sales boom

July 31st, 2010
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WHEN it was released in a blaze of hype in Australia two months ago, Apple’s iPad was cast as either a ”game changer”, or an answer to a question that nobody had asked.

Fans gasped at the possibility of a device that imitates a book, a music player and a games console. Cynics complained it was just like an iPhone except it was too big to carry around, and you couldn’t make phone calls on it.

As it racks up sales of a million a month, the iPad is already inspiring innovative ”apps” such as Flipboard, an elegant do-it-yourself magazine that features pages and videos recommended by your friends. A remarkable YouTube clip shows American artist David Kassan using an iPad app to ”paint” a beautifully detailed portrait with his fingers.

A report released last month by Morgan Stanley Australia predicted that while the iPad will not be the salvation of the newspaper industry, it presents crucial opportunities for publishers both to hold on to print subscribers and develop new revenues.

The iPad’s rivals have been spurred into action. Amazon this week launched a cheaper version of its ebook reader, the Kindle, and has recently reported sales of ebooks in the US exceeding hardbacks for the first time.

Thanks to the device, Apple recently overtook Microsoft to become the world’s most valuable technology company. Microsoft chief Steve Ballmer dished out some backhanded praise. ”Apple has done an interesting job,” he said. ”They’ve certainly sold more [iPads] than I’d like them to sell.”

While numerous electronics manufacturers, including Apple, have attempted previously to interest consumers in ”tablet-sized” machines, the iPad’s early success has been good news for Melbourne software developer Firemint.

Based in Richmond, the company has developed two of the device’s most popular games, Real Racing HD and Flight Control HD, upgrades of games that had already been internationally popular on Apple’s iPhone.

”A lot of people were sceptical about how the iPad would sell,” says Firemint community manager Alex Peters. ”Considering it’s in this new category between smart phones and laptops, it’s a phenomenal achievement. And that’s been great for us in terms of people wanting to play games on it.”

Apple in the US gave Real Racing HD it’s imprimatur, loading it on the first iPads sent to reviewers, listing it prominently on its website, and featuring its graphics in a presentation by the company’s chief, Steve Jobs.

Peters, who flew to the US for the initial launch, has been using an iPad ever since and has been surprised by some of the ways she uses it. ”I’ve found it great for playing games. Unlike a computer, it turns on immediately and you can sit anywhere using it, on the sofa, in bed.

”Also, I’ve started reading a lot more. I’ve completely stopped buying books, and I love the idea of there being so many novels you can download. I went to the dentist last week and while I was in the waiting room I just got the iPad out and read a book, which I wouldn’t usually do. At night I read in bed by the light of the iPad.”

She also uses the device for her emails, noting that since she has had RSI problems with her wrists, tapping keys on the screen is actually more comfortable than using a conventional keyboard.

Chris Bishops, head of digital strategies at consultants Beyond Digital Media, says he uses his iPad for ”everything”. Linking it to his phone and computer, it provides his calendar and email, as well as spreadsheets and word processing. ”I’ll sit in a conference typing notes on it. It’s great for collaborating with colleagues,” he says. ”It’s not just a media-viewing device.”

Senior journalist for Australian Macworld, Anthony Caruana, has found it makes a perfect cookbook. ”I bought my iPad for work, and thought I’d use it for a few weeks and then it would end up on the pile of old gadgets at home. What’s actually happened instead is that I carry it just about everywhere now.”

Fairfax technology writer Adam Turner says the iPad has got off to a good start, but deficiencies such as inability to run Adobe’s popular Flash Player, turn him off the machine.

”The device on sale right now would have to be considered a success, but whether in the long run they’ll be considered a gimmick, the jury’s still out on that,” he says.

Source:http://www.theage.com.au/technology/fans-happy-to-be-left-with-own-devices-as-ipad-sales-boom-20100731-110q8.html

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TBR analyzes 2Q10 earnings from IBM Software

July 31st, 2010
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Technology Business Research, Inc. (TBR) covers high-tech firms from a combined business, financial and technical perspective. Headquartered in Hampton, N.H, the firm is recognized as one of the leading high-tech market research and consulting organizations specializing in the analyses of computer, software, networking equipment, wireless, portal, and professional services companies as well as customer satisfaction studies.

Analysis on IBM Software’s 2Q10 financial results

Software is like exercise for IBM – more is almost always better – IBM’s corporate mission is not to maximize its revenue and scale. The company intentionally ceded the title of largest technology provider to HP in order to avoid margin erosion in the PC and printing businesses.

In the software business, IBM just completed a similar divestiture, completing the sale of its PLM sales and services business at the end of the first quarter. The loss of PLM revenue negatively impacted IBM’s Software revenue by 4 percentage points, as software revenue increased by 2% as reported and by 6% excluding the impact of PLM revenue.

Even though IBM Software’s 6% revenue growth excluding PLM led IBM’s reporting segments, profit was its greater value to parent company IBM Corp. during the quarter. Software operating income accounted for more than 40% of IBM’s total, although software revenue was just over 20% of total, as software operating margin expanded year-to-year for the 11th consecutive quarter.

IBM profit-based strategy is being driven two-fold by software: not only is software an increasing proportion of IBM’s total revenue, IBM is squeezing more profit from each software revenue dollar.

If it ain’t broke, IBM Software isn’t fixing it

After taking a brief respite from acquisitions during the first quarter, IBM turned its software acquisition machine back into the “on” position, announcing a slew of new purchases during the quarter, including Cast Iron, Sterling Commerce, Storwize, Coremetrics, and BigFix.

IBM Software’s expansion was driven by more than 60 acquisitions over the past seven years, which drove nearly a 50% increase in both software revenue and profit from 2003 to 2009. After IBM’s top line failed to meet expectations during 2Q10, TBR believes the company’s continued focus on software acquisitions will assist in managing its bottom line to maximize profit regardless of whether revenue is up or down in a certain quarter.

While IBM may not be able to meticulously control deal flow or customer spending in each and every quarter, generating more of it revenue via software and focusing on maximizing those software margins is a strategy that can drive consistent results from quarter to quarter with a steady upwards trajectory fueled by acquisition.

Acquisitions add to IBM’s agility in new markets

In addition to the financial impact, acquisitions play a critically important role in extending the relevance of IBM’s software business to new and emerging areas of technology.

Cloud is a significant initiative and area of investment for IBM, and TBR believes its purchase of Cast Iron will play an important role in IBM’s value proposition in the area of cloud computing. As a company focusing on end-to-end solutions, cloud presented an interesting challenge for IBM to provide those key integration links to deliver seamless solutions to customers.

Pure-play cloud vendors such as Google and Salesforce.com can extol the virtues of a totally cloud-enabled world, but IBM must deal in the messy reality in which cloud and on-site IT exist side-by-side.

The integration between existing onsite assets and cloud services is a sore pain point for many customers and with its purchase of Cast Iron IBM now has a powerful tool to ease those customers’ pain.

Cloud becomes another supporting role for IBM

In the cloud, just as in the traditional IT space, IBM will continue to focus on enabling and supporting customers IT environments. Though IBM is one of the largest IT vendors globally, most non-technical users have no direct interaction with any of its products.

Unlike HP or Microsoft, IBM has no consumer-focused offerings at all, and unlike Oracle and SAP, business users have no interaction with its business application offerings. IBM has built the world’s second-largest software business by focusing entirely on back-end functions such as system and data management, and will adoption that same role in cloud computing.

Cloud enablement becomes big business

The market opportunity from cloud computing extends far beyond the applications themselves. Companies such as Salesforce.com and Microsoft will build significant businesses around cloud offerings, but an entire ecosystem of adjacent businesses are blossoming around cloud services.

Though adoption is increasing, non-cloud adopters continue to outweigh cloud adopters (according to TBR’s Cloud Computing Adoption Study). For IT vendors, the business opportunity is not only selling cloud services to the majority of the market that has yet to adopt, but also providing the solutions that will entice those customers to adopt.

TBR believes cloud enablement is a significant opportunity for IT vendors – tackling the obstacles that are holding customers back from cloud services.

IBM will monetize the bottleneck to cloud adoption

IBM’s acquisition of Cast Iron directly targets the largest customer pain point associated with cloud computing.

Cloud security receives significant attention as an adoption barrier, but in TBR’s Cloud Adoption Study, integration was cited by 45% of non-cloud adopters as the leading barrier. Customers are not willing to offset the cost savings generated by cloud solutions with increased management costs and complexity. Regardless of how software is delivered – on-site, through the cloud, or via an appliance – integration and management are key decision points for any solution.

Whatever solution is chosen must integrate with existing assets and be centrally managed. The acquisition of Cast Iron provides IBM the tools to make this vision a reality for its customers, whether they utilize IBM, Amazon, Salesforce.com or other cloud services in heterogeneous environments.

TBR expects Cast Iron assets to be widely used through IBM, and believes they will be sold on a standalone basis, integrated with IBM cloud services, and used extensively by the Global Services team.

Source:http://localtechwire.com/business/local_tech_wire/news/blogpost/8066371/

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Why Windows 7 tablet might not be a good idea for Microsoft

July 31st, 2010
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With Microsoft venturing into the tablet market, speculations regarding the product’s design and software have started. Though it is widely believed that Microsoft will use Windows 7 to run on slates, the prospect of using Windows 7 in the tablet isn’t pleasing to analysts. They believe Windows 7 is good for desktops but not for touchscreen tablets as it has never been designed for them and if used, the experience would be clunky.

However, though Windows 7 include Windows Touch that would enable multitouch finger gestures, analysts say it’s not an efficient method to navigate the Windows UI. All the Windows functions such as the start button and desktop icons were designed for the mouse and cursor and not to follow finger movements. Moreover, Windows touch’s lack of precision isn’t a good match for today’s business software, analysts say.

But, yes, Microsoft can solve the problem with an external keyboard for Windows 7 tablets similar to iWork in iPad. Or, Microsoft could simply launch a modified version of Office especially for tablets to solve the problem. Or, Microsoft could try mobile OS as it has a better compatibility with slates similar to the iOS in iPad.

Even Google followed it with Android OS, which is designed especially for finger-sensitive mobile devices. There have been speculations that Microsoft intends to build a tablet OS based on its Windows Phone 7 mobile software. Analysts believe that this would turn out eventually, which will make Microsoft to go on the same path followed by Apple and Google.

Source:http://www.lanewsmonitor.com/news/Why-WIndows-7-Tablet-Might-Not-Be-A-Good-Idea-For-Microsoft-1280584338/

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Microsoft’s new Street Mapping Slide

July 31st, 2010
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Microsoft Corporation is going to unveil a new software Microsoft Street Slide which is based upon pulling and viewing the street upto 360 degree.

The multiple slide view will experience an instant snapshot of the whole street which will led someone having faster result of the search he wants without jumping to anywhere else.

microsoft street slide

This Microsoft Street Mapping Slide will also navigate to some other information like any building number, advertisements and logos giving the total exciting experience.

This software is also coming to the latest i Phone and the advanced windows 7 phone.

Source:http://www.solidblogger.com/microsoft-street-mapping-slide/

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Software giant selects Microsoft Turkiye as partner country of year

July 31st, 2010
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World’s leading computer software & electronics company Microsoft Corporation has selected its partner Microsoft Turkiye as the “partner country of the year”.

Microsoft Turkiye’s Director General Tamer Ozmen was presented with the “Partner Country of the Year” award by Microsoft’s CEO Steve Ballmer at a ceremony held as part of the Microsoft Global Exchange Summit held in Atlanta, USA, a statement from Microsoft Turkiye said on Saturday.

Speaking at the ceremony, Ozmen pointed to the importance of Turkey’s being selected as the country of the year due to the potential of its economy.

“As Microsoft Turkiye, our goal is to raise the bar we have reached with such award to a higher level,” Ozmen said.

“Turkey has been drawing more and more attention thanks to its economic performance in recent years. The country’s potential has now come to light and it started to reach the level it deserves in world economy,” he noted.

Describing his company as one of the most important actors of Turkish economy, Ozmen said his strong team worked hard to contribute to Turkey’s development process.

Moreover, Microsoft Corporation’s CEO Ballmer also said that Microsoft Turkiye, with its ecosystem comprising of more than 7,000 IT companies, contributed remarkably to Turkey’s development.

Source:http://www.worldbulletin.net/news_detail.php?id=62064

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Voice xml shown to be top choice for call center software

July 31st, 2010
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Call centers are constantly confronted with decision making when it comes to implementing the software that will maximize customer service experiences while maintaining cost-effectiveness.

With a myriad of software operations to choose from, occasionally call center managers may need a little help in making decisions.

Over the years, the industry has seen the strong effectiveness ofVoiceXML applications, and VoiceXML itself has risen through the ranks of the IVR industry to the forefront of call center services.

Susan Campbell for TMC once described the various ways in which VoiceXML provides productive and cost-effective service.

She noted that “VoiceXML allows for the creation, modification, and personalization of its applications, which can provide substantial cost savings over proprietary and traditional IVR systems.

It also allows companies to leverage in-house resources instead of depending on specialized developers because of its ease of application development.”

Interact’s SPOT VoiceXML/CCXML Media Platform brings these levels of proficiency to media platforms with top notch voice applications and services.

As “VoiceXML has proven to be at least three times faster in terms of application development when compared to traditional IVR,” and it is “significantly more cost effective than IVR because it does not require a second silo infrastructure from existing Web infrastructure” it’s no wonder businesses are choosing Interact’s SPOT Platform over more traditional IVR systems.

SPOT enables service providers and enterprises to easily deploy automated telephony applications and solutions at a lower total cost of ownership.

With the ability to support various voice and IVR channels at once, VoiceXML is scalable, cost-effective, and flexible enough to handle any call center need.

Source:http://www.tmcnet.com/channels/voicexml/articles/93706-voice-xml-shown-be-top-choice-call-center.htm

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