Saturday, August 6, 2011
Verizon Workers Might Strike
Typically, a strike at a major telecommunications company means, among other things, that all management vacations get cancelled. That might happen, as Verizon workers are threatening a strike.
Gary Kim has been a digital infra analyst and journalist for more than 30 years, covering the business impact of technology, pre- and post-internet. He sees a similar evolution coming with AI. General-purpose technologies do not come along very often, but when they do, they change life, economies and industries.
Microsoft, Google Spar over Patents
If the sparring is a bit unusual, it might be because the stakes are so high. Many observers say patents might be emerging as a way for Android competitors to raise costs for every Android handset sold, at the very least. In other cases, where cross licensing is not possible or desired by some contestants, some Android software might have to be completely rewritten. Where patents cover processes, even that might not be entirely possible, at least in principle.
Gary Kim has been a digital infra analyst and journalist for more than 30 years, covering the business impact of technology, pre- and post-internet. He sees a similar evolution coming with AI. General-purpose technologies do not come along very often, but when they do, they change life, economies and industries.
Better Web App Communications Coming
In today’s browser ecosystem, web apps are completely disconnected, or require the use of complicated APIs in order to make use of a third-party service such as posting a comment to Twitter from a custom publishing domain.
The Android operating system addresses this problem with "Intents," a facility for late run-time binding between components in the same or different applications. In the Intents system, the client application requests a generic action, such as a "share," and specifies the data to pass to the selected service application.
Google developers are working on an analogous system for the Web. "Web Intents" will be an API will provide the same benefits of Android Intents, but better suited for web applications. That presumably will make the web apps user experience more like the mobile apps experience.
The Android operating system addresses this problem with "Intents," a facility for late run-time binding between components in the same or different applications. In the Intents system, the client application requests a generic action, such as a "share," and specifies the data to pass to the selected service application.
Google developers are working on an analogous system for the Web. "Web Intents" will be an API will provide the same benefits of Android Intents, but better suited for web applications. That presumably will make the web apps user experience more like the mobile apps experience.
Gary Kim has been a digital infra analyst and journalist for more than 30 years, covering the business impact of technology, pre- and post-internet. He sees a similar evolution coming with AI. General-purpose technologies do not come along very often, but when they do, they change life, economies and industries.
More Apple-Google-Microsoft Patent Battles Coming?
Google and Apple now are said to be sniffing around for InterDigital patents, in the wake of a consortium purchase of Nortel patents (Apple was part of that group) and a Google purchase of some patents from IBM.
Google has nearly $40 billion in cash and cash equivalents to spend, but Apple has almost double that. And if Apple teams up with Microsoft again, they’ll have over $100 billion in buying power.
Some might argue that, for such reasons, Google will not be able to out-bid Apple, and therefore will be exposed to patent litigation related to Android. Others might argue the whole matter is raising in a new way the need for patent reform, while some might even think the Justice Department will have to intervene.
Competition, many would agree, is a good thing. But it now appears that patent litigation now is increasingly used to stifle competition. And that could become a restraint of trade issue.
Gary Kim has been a digital infra analyst and journalist for more than 30 years, covering the business impact of technology, pre- and post-internet. He sees a similar evolution coming with AI. General-purpose technologies do not come along very often, but when they do, they change life, economies and industries.
Friday, August 5, 2011
MtetroP{CS, Leap Troubles Not Helpful for AT&T?
A 40 percent -plus plunge in the stock prices of Leap Wireless International and MetroPCS Communications, triggered by disappointing quarterly results, could be bad news for AT&T, the Wall Street Journal reports. The reason, of course, is that AT&T has touted the amount of regional competition as evidence that U.S. mobile markets would remain robustly competitive even after a completed AT&T purchase of T-Mobile USA.
Any sign that the regional competitors are not faring so well would raise doubts about the ultimate state of competition in the mobile market.
Any sign that the regional competitors are not faring so well would raise doubts about the ultimate state of competition in the mobile market.
AT&T's Great Leap Back WSJ.com (subscription required)
Gary Kim has been a digital infra analyst and journalist for more than 30 years, covering the business impact of technology, pre- and post-internet. He sees a similar evolution coming with AI. General-purpose technologies do not come along very often, but when they do, they change life, economies and industries.
App Makers Focus on Repeat Buyers, In-App Purchases
Mobile developers are increasingly focusing on engaging repeat customers rather than chasing sales of apps to new users, according to a new survey of developers by Appcelerator. Developers also are looking to in-app purchases for revenue as well.
Just over 2,000 developers were surveyed by IDC and Appcelerator between July 20 and 21, and just about half of them said pure sales of apps was the primary strategy driving their business model. That’s down about nine percent from Appcelerator developers surveyed six months ago.
Just over 2,000 developers were surveyed by IDC and Appcelerator between July 20 and 21, and just about half of them said pure sales of apps was the primary strategy driving their business model. That’s down about nine percent from Appcelerator developers surveyed six months ago.
Developers see in-application purchasing rivaling app store sales for monetization by 2012, in fact.
Gary Kim has been a digital infra analyst and journalist for more than 30 years, covering the business impact of technology, pre- and post-internet. He sees a similar evolution coming with AI. General-purpose technologies do not come along very often, but when they do, they change life, economies and industries.
Ultrabooks and tablets a Fad?
In a statement that is brave or foolhardy, Acer founder Stan Shih says tablets are a fad. What he seems to mean is that PCs are the base of the IT industry and tablet PCs are also developed from the base; therefore, in the future, products will still need to go through the PC platform to create even more add-on value.
Shih added that Apple achieved success with iPad through its outside-the-box thinking, which is an attitude that all notebook players should learn.
Shih added that Apple achieved success with iPad through its outside-the-box thinking, which is an attitude that all notebook players should learn.
Gary Kim has been a digital infra analyst and journalist for more than 30 years, covering the business impact of technology, pre- and post-internet. He sees a similar evolution coming with AI. General-purpose technologies do not come along very often, but when they do, they change life, economies and industries.
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