ZDNet Must Read:
Google's Chrome OS: Will you give up desktop apps?
Google revealed a bevy of noteworthy developments for its Chrome OS. However, the success or failure of the Chrome OS will ride on whether users will give up desktop applications.... Continued »
November 20th, 2009
Who's afraid of the big bad cloud?
Tech news has been dominated this week by Google’s announcements regarding their upcoming Chrome OS. Plenty of geeks are excited at the prospect of a lightweight, user-friendly, Linux-based operating system that, if only on the basis of brand cache, can be a potential Windows competitor in some important sub-markets. Plenty of industry insiders and business analysts are excited at the revenue potential for Google and new levels of competition. You know who aren’t excited? Those who say we aren’t ready for an OS dependent upon “The Cloud” (dramatic music plays here).
These are the same people who regularly stop by my ZDNet Education posts and can’t believe my affection for Google Apps or my willingness to use a student information system that’s hosted in the cloud. “Why wouldn’t you run the system on your own servers? Why would you run mission-critical mail and communications in the cloud? Why would you let your student data sit somewhere else?”
Uhhhh…because my time should be spent on my real business (in my case, integrating technology into education and ensuring that teachers have the data and resources they need to do their own jobs), not running servers when Google can do it infinitely better than I can or when other SaaS vendors can leverage large virtualized data centers to deliver high quality services to me quickly and with minimal intervention on my part. Read the rest of this entry »
November 20th, 2009
EU extends deadline for review of Oracle-Sun deal
European regulators have agreed to extend the deadline to review Oracle’s acquisition of Sun, giving Oracle some more time to develop arguments in reply to Europe’s concerns, according to a Reuters report.
Earlier this month, the European Commission filed a Statement of Objections, a first step toward blocking the $7.4 billion deal, over concerns about MySQL. Oracle immediately fired back, issuing a statement that said European regulators have a “profound misunderstanding of both database competition and open source dynamics.” The same day, the U.S. Department of Justice, which has already given its blessing to the deal, pretty much backed Oracle and offered reasons why the U.S. did not see the deal as anti-competitive.
Oracle has said that delays are becoming costly - to the tune of $100 million per month - and are further damaging the economies through job losses. Sun has had to put restructuring plans in place to stay alive while everyone waits for European approval, most recently by laying off 3,000 employees.
Oracle has said that Sun’s customers “universally support this merger and do not benefit from the continued uncertainty and delay.” The company said evidence against the Commission’s position is overwhelming. and that it lacks any credible theory or evidence of competitive harm.
The deadline was extended by one week, to Jan. 27, 2010 from Jan. 19.
Also see: Oracle tries to stop Sun’s bleeding: Is it too late?
November 20th, 2009
Mozilla: Still too dependent on Google for revenue; Can it diversify?
Mozilla reported its 2008 audited financials and the organization behind the Firefox browser delivered consolidated revenue of $78.6 million, up 5 percent from 2007. And the revenue picture looks even better if you exclude the $7.8 million loss in Mozilla’s investment portfolio. The worry: Google, now a competitor, is still bankrolling Mozilla.
Mitchell Baker, chairman of the Mozilla Foundation, outlined the financial picture on her blog. There’s a lot of good stuff in there.
To wit:
- Mozilla funds 200 people working full or part-time on Mozilla.
- The company has outposts across the globe and Firefox comes in 70 languages.
- Mozilla is launching messaging software.
- And Firefox has 110 million daily users as of November.
The worry for me as a Mozilla fan: The foundation’s financial stability depends on Google. Baker noted that Mozilla is diversifying its revenue base somewhat, but not enough in my view. She notes on her blog the majority of Mozilla’s revenue “is generated from the search functionality in Mozilla Firefox from organizations such as Google, Yahoo, Amazon, eBay, and others.”
A trip to the actual audited PDF of Mozilla’s financial results and a note on “concentrations of risk” reveals:
Mozilla has a contract with a search engine provider for royalties which expires in November 2011. The contract was recently amended and extended to November 2011. Approximately 91% and 94% of Mozilla’s revenue for 2008 and 2007, respectively, was derived from this contract. The receivable from this search engine provider represented 80% and 86% of the December 31, 2008 and 207 outstanding receivables, respectively.
Obviously that search provider is Google. Simply put, Mozilla needs to diversify that revenue base from Google, which funds the foundation, but is increasingly a competitor. Having a rival fund your operations isn’t comfortable for any organization. Mozilla’s current situation is like Oracle accounting for the bulk SAP’s revenue. Or Microsoft providing most of Red Hat’s revenue. Or MySpace accounting for the majority of Facebook revenue. You get the idea.
Baker notes in her blog:
The past few years have seen an explosion of innovation and competition in web browsers, demonstrating their critical importance to the Internet experience and marking the success of our mission. In 2008 not only did Microsoft and Apple continue developing their web browsing products, but Google announced and released a web browser of its own. Competition, while uncomfortable, has benefited Mozilla, pushing us to work harder. Mozilla and Firefox continue to prosper, and to reflect our core values. We expect these competitive trends to continue, benefiting the entire Web.
Can Mozilla realistically diversify its revenue base away from Google? That’s unclear on many fronts. Google has the dominant market share in search. Yahoo is a non-factor. And Microsoft has the Bing search engine, but isn’t likely to support Firefox, a browser that competes (and often wins) against the software giant’s Internet Explorer.
Given that landscape Mozilla needs to get creative about that lucrative search box. Of Mozilla’s revenue generating partners only Amazon and eBay have the heft to really help diversify the foundation away from Google. Instead of a search box, perhaps Firefox needs a commerce box that would allow eBay and Amazon to pick up some of the revenue slack.
How do you think Mozilla can diversify away from Google?
November 20th, 2009
Michael Dell sticks to Windows 7 big bang theory
Dell chief Michael Dell is projecting a Windows 7 upgrade cycle that could put PC growth “well into the teens.” What’s unclear is whether Dell will be able to grab a bigger share of the revenue pie or be outmaneuvered by rivals like HP and Acer.
Following the company’s disappointing quarter, Dell executives said the timing of the Windows 7 launch hurt revenue and earnings. That’s why Dell’s third quarter results fell short of expectations.
On a conference call, Dell executives sounded upbeat about the fourth quarter and the fiscal year to come.
When asked about the potential for a PC replacement cycle that would be above the 10 percent growth rate usually expected, Michael Dell said:
Read the rest of this entry »
November 20th, 2009
Research paints ugly IT employment picture: Almost 2 million jobs gone in 14 years
The Hackett Group reports that 300,000 IT jobs have disappeared in 2009, a spike that will translate into nearly 2 million eliminated technology positions between 2000 and 2014.
In a report, Hackett notes that IT is taking the brunt as companies cut back-office jobs. In 2009, 630,000 back office jobs will be lost at the world’s largest companies. Overall, there’s an “extended jobless recovery” in “IT, finance, procurement, HR, and other general and administrative (G&A) areas.
Hackett reports:
Longer-term, Hackett’s research estimates that nearly 3.6 million G&A jobs in North America and Europe will have been eliminated between 2000 and 2014. More than half of these losses, or nearly 2 million of these jobs, are in IT, making it the largest back office area to be hit by a wide margin.
Hackett researched 4,000 global companies with $1 billion in revenue.
Also see: TechRepublic’s IT Training Directory · Career management blog · IT leadership blog
The underlying trends behind these job losses are well known. In a nutshell, companies need to keep improving profit losses, jobs are going offshore, outsourcing and process improvements. In a report, Hackett writes:
Hackett’s analysis of close to 4,000 large (over $1 billion in revenue), publicly held companies reveals that as a result of efficiency gains made through automation, process improvement, outsourcing and offshoring, G&A functions cost approximately $333 billion less to run in 2007 than in 2000 for this group of companies. However, these improvements have come at the cost of 1.4 million net back-office G&A jobs at these companies. This job loss occurred despite average annual economic growth of 2.2% during this period, which offset a portion of the jobs eliminated through efficiency gains. On balance, the pre-crisis years showed a healthy trend for an increasingly knowledge-based, industrialized economy, modest net declines in lower-value-added jobs, and net creation of higher-value-added jobs elsewhere in the economy. However, the current economic downturn has disrupted this trend. In order to protect margins in the face of declining revenue, companies have been forced to accelerate G&A cost take-outs.
Here’s a chart of the IT job losses in context of other positions:
November 20th, 2009
CIO Sanity Savers: Five ways to become a more effective executive
This episode of CIO Sanity Savers looks at some time-tested tips that leaders can use to be more effective with their time.
November 20th, 2009
News to know: Google Chrome OS; Dell; AOL; Microsoft
Here are today’s notable headlines. You can get News To Know via email alert and RSS daily. For continuous updates see BNET’s around-the-Web tech coverage:
Google Chrome coverage:
- Ryan Naraine: Inside the Google Chrome OS security model
- Larry Dignan: Google’s Chrome OS: Will you give up d
esktop apps? - Sam Diaz: Live from Googleplex: Chrome OS details revealed
- Paula Rooney: Google makes Chrome OS open source today
- Jason Perlow: Chrome OS: Some Early Preview Videos
- Adrian Kingsley-Hughes: Google Chrome OS announcement
- Dana Blankenhorn: ChromeOS says tear down this network regulation wall
- Do we need a ‘beautiful mess’ in operating systems? Yup
- Gallery: Chrome OS revealed
- Google: Releasing the Chromium OS open source project
- Chrome OS documentation
Larry Dignan: Dell’s third quarter disappoints yet it sees IT demand improving
Dreamforce coverage:
- Jennifer Leggio: Hello Salesforce Chatter, so long Yammer?
- Brian Sommer: Dreamforce post#2: Chatter, Events, REA and the Future of Management
- Dennis Howlett: Chatter: Amplified
- How FinancialForce crushes it in SaaS accounting
New PDF downloads: Readers Choice: Top 25 lightweight apps
2009 Smartphone and Carrier Buying Guide
Larry Dignan: AOL: Will Armstrong get any honeymoon?
CNet News: Going rate for acquisitions at Intuit: $170 million
Unboxing the free PDC laptop (photos right)
A PDC peek at a Microsoft server container (photos)
Doug Hanchard: FCC releases broadband agenda
- Politician wants Twitter banned from use by….wait for it — politicians!
- FCC to review regulatory and legal impacts to cloud services and identity management
- FCC wants public comment on digital democracy - voting online
- Dignan: FAA hit with network glitch; Flight plans go manual
Mary Jo Foley: Microsoft still working on an Adobe Lightroom competitor, but with a social twist
Ryan Naraine: Microsoft finds security hole in Google Chrome Frame
Matthew Miller: Hands-on with the HTC HD2, most impressive Windows Mobile device to date
Crave: Livescribe pen gets an app store
UK police make Zeus Trojan arrests
TechCrunch: TweetPhoto CEO Says Too Much In Interview, Gets Fired. And That’s Just The Beginning…
Andrew Nusca: Users should be smug, and why the Apple iPhone makes you feel smarter
- Next-gen Flip mini camcorder to sport Wi-Fi; Cisco influence finally materializes
- Rachel King: More leaks on upcoming Lenovo ThinkPad X100e
- Amazon slashes price of Palm Pre to $79.99, Pixi to $24.99
Chris Jablonski: 7 things you should know about Body Area Networks (BANs)
Tom Foremski: Techmeme’s 6 editors signals potential trouble with Google PageRank
Garett Rogers: Chrome OS will give Microsoft a run for their money
Heather Clancy: Peoplesoft founder pops up at eMeter
Andrew Mager: What’s Happening Twitter? Slight languages changes have meaning
Jason Perlow: Messing around with the DROID camera
Sean Portnoy: Vizio announces Black Friday deals on its LCD HDTVs, Blu-ray player
Andrew Mager: Twitter adds “follow” buttons for your site
Tom Foremski: Rewarding tech that benefits humanity
Brian Sommer: Guerilla Marketing @ Dreamforce
Bloomberg: Facebook Common Stock Valuation Jumps 42% to $9.5 Billion
Kingsley-Hughes: GIMP dropped from default Ubuntu 10.04 Lucid Lynx installation
Christopher Dawson: How to add value, not just more tech, with Web 2.0+
Kingsley-Hughes: Apple Tablet - Unofficial, unannounced … but still delayed
- Jason O’Grady: iTablet goes OLED bumped until late 2010
Dan Kusnetzky: Delta Sonic Car Wash systems deploys Vyatta
Rooney: Terracotta buys Quartz
Gizmodo: Is There Any Point to the World’s First Wireless USB Drive?
Sam Diaz: AT&T launches Verizon counter-punch ad, keeps digging that hole
Microsoft designs laptop for developer giveaway
Harry Fuller: Alcohol and fuel cells in our future?
Dana Blankenhorn: MindTouch launches its open source cloud
November 19th, 2009
Intuit grows revenue for Q1, continues push into "connected services"
Updated
Intuit, the maker of TurboTax and Quicken software, beat Wall Street’s estimates for its first quarter, reporting a 2 percent growth in revenue for the period. The company reported a net loss of $32 million, or 10 cents per share, on revenue of $493 million, which is a 2 percent increase from the year-ago quarter. Wall Street had been expecting a net loss of 16 cents per share on revenue of $487.7 million. (Statement)
The company reported 11 cents worth of charges in the quarter. Adjusted for that, it reported a loss of $68 million, or 21 cents per share.
The company highlighted strong customer growth across core businesses and the repurchasing of $300 million shares of stock during the quarter, as well as as a board approval of a new repurchase program if $600 million. It ended the quarter with more then $1 billion cash and investment.
During the quarter, it also acquired Mint.com and reaffirmed its full-year 2010 guidance inclusive of the transaction. In a statement, Intuit president and CEO Brad Smith said:
Intuit’s solid revenue and operating results give us a good start to the fiscal year, with our most important quarters ahead of us… We continue to see growth in our core businesses and are making progress in building out adjacent businesses. At the same time, we are accelerating our transition to a connected services company, with the recent acquisitions of online payroll provider PayCycle and the fast-growing online personal finance service Mint.com. We’ll also continue to invest in our products and in innovations that position us well for future growth.
Intuit has been pushing the adjacent segments and emerging technologies that moves it closer to the connected services company it wants to be, by leveraging strengths, such as being a brand name that’s trusted with details of our finances, and moving strategically and cautiously into the cloud.
Last month, the company enhanced its Quickbooks accounting software by unveiling an app store and opening its API so developers can help companies free their financial data into custom apps. What was interesting about that was the hybrid approach - a button embedded into the desktop software that takes users to an apps marketplace in the cloud.
Earlier this month, the company launched Customer manager, a new online and mobile app software that brings CRM tools to Quickbooks, largely targeted at the small business market.
Looking forward, guidance for the second quarter is non-GAAP EPS of 29-32 cents on revenue of $800 million to $835 million, representing growth of 1-6 percent.
Shares of Intuit were down slightly in regular trading, closing at $30.27. Shares dipped slightly - about 1.5 percent - in after hours trading.
Correction: An earlier version of this post inadvertently contained results based on the adjusted GAAP basis, instead of non-GAAP, and said the company missed Wall Street estimates when it actually beat. I extend my apologies for any confusion.
November 19th, 2009
Dell's third quarter disappoints yet it sees IT demand improving
Dell’s fiscal third quarter financials fell well short of estimates across the board.
The company on Thursday reported third quarter net income of $337 million, or 17 cents a share. That tally is down 54 percent from a year ago. Wall Street was expecting earnings of 28 cents a share. Dell’s earnings included pre-tax expenses and other moving parts that knocked 6 cents a share off of the earnings sum. But even excluding those items, Dell fell short.
Revenue wasn’t much better relative to expectations. Dell reported revenue of $12.9 billion, down 15 percent from the $15.16 billion in the third quarter a year ago. Wall Street estimates: $13.18 billion.
Meanwhile, Dell’s gross margins fell short of targets too. Dell reported gross margin of 17.3 percent in its fiscal third quarter compared to Wall Street estimates calling for 18.19 percent.
Simply put, Dell is either taking hits in the PC market or analysts got way ahead of themselves predicting a rebound. In a presentation, Dell did note that pricing has been aggressive (statement).
On a conference call, Dell CFO Brian Gladden said:
Our third quarter reported revenue was adversely affected by the timing of the Windows 7 launch and our SMB and consumer businesses where we did build more backlog than normal due to the later quarter order dynamics. We expect our backlog to return to more normal levels in the fourth quarter.
For its part, Dell did say that things were improving sequentially. Shipments were flat sequentially and down 5 percent from a year ago.
Here’s Dell’s view of the PC market:
November 19th, 2009
Google's Chrome OS: Will you give up desktop apps?
Google on Thursday revealed a bevy of noteworthy developments for its Chrome OS. The company released the Chrome OS to the open source community, laid out its security vision and promised to deliver a simple operating system. However, the success or failure of the Chrome OS will ride on whether users will give up desktop applications.
Sundar Pichai, Vice President of Product Management, outlined the Chrome OS, noted that “there’s a paradigm shift in computing” presumably to netbooks and noted:
“Every application is a Web application. There are no conventional desktop applications.”
And there’s the rub.
November 19th, 2009
Live from Googleplex: Chrome OS details revealed
I’m here at the Googleplex in Silicon Valley where the company has summoned the tech press for a briefing about Google Chrome OS. It’s always great coming to events at Google - very relaxed atmosphere, plenty of bright colors and, in this room, some cool tunes playing (I even heard some metal. It’s certainly not a Microsoft event.)
I’ll be offering a play-by-play of today’s news, so stick with me as I update this blog during the briefing.
10:00 am: We’ll be starting soon. Some attendees stuck in traffic. (The 101 Freeway in Mountain View was pretty solid considering we’re at the tail end of the morning commute.)
10:05 a.m.: Contrary to reports in blogosphere, Google VP Sundar Pichai says there will be no products today. No beta version. They’re a yeart away from release. Primary reason for here today is to announce open source of project. Code is open.
November 19th, 2009
AOL: Will Armstrong get any honeymoon?
AOL will lay off a third of its workforce once it is spun off as a public company. The company’s ad business is a wreck. And the best thing AOL has going for it is a subscription model (read dial-up) that’s also in decline. Welcome back to the big leagues where there may be little to no honeymoon for AOL Chief Tim Armstrong.
When Armstrong took over at AOL I figured it was a good risk-adjusted career move. AOL was a mess. Armstrong could swoop in with his Google Web cred and either fix it or say there’s only so much one guy can do.
We’ll see how all that goes after a few earnings conference calls as a public company. Simply put, the odds may be stacked against Armstrong and AOL’s success. Meanwhile, these questions about AOL will be raised quickly if shares swoon. How many Time Warner shareholders are really going to hold AOL shares after the Internet company is spun off? And will there be buyers of AOL shares on the other side of the transaction? Add it up and you have all the ingredients for a rocky road once AOL is spun off Dec. 9.
Let’s check out recent events (Techmeme):
November 19th, 2009
FAA hit with network glitch; Flight plans go manual
Updated: The Federal Aviation Authority is looking into a networking problem that threatens to delay flights across the U.S.
FAA spokesman Les Dorr said that there’s a “problem with the telecommunications network that’s affecting automated processing system” for things like flight plans.
“Anything controllers normally have done automatically have to be done manually,” said Dorr. Indeed, the FAA has a ground stop. Atlanta is the hub that appears to be most affected, reports CBS News.
According to the FAA, the problems reside in the FAA Telecommunications Infrastructure, or FTI for short. FTI provides the voice, data, and video communications that support operations and mission support functions at more than 4,000 FAA and Department of Defense (DoD) facilities. Add it up and the network provides for more than 20,000 services such as switching and routing, network monitoring and control.
The FAA is currently investigating the problem. Dorr reiterated that the FAA can track planes with radar and have communication with pilots, but there’s an efficiency issue: You can only keep tabs on so many planes manually.
November 19th, 2009
Do we need a 'beautiful mess' in operating systems? Yup
Should PC makers and other hardware players each cook up their own operating systems in an effort to emulate Apple’s success? The short answer: Yes. The more operating systems the merrier we’ll be.
John Gruber at Daring Fireball makes the argument for a land of multiple operating systems and the idea isn’t as crazy as it sounds. Gruber recaps a post where he argued that there should be multiple operating systems to choose from and then addresses the feedback. The biggest argument for having 35 operating systems instead of three big ones (Windows, Mac and Linux) is the incompatibility argument.
The argument goes like this: It was a mess when there were a bunch of operating systems. Gruber’s reply:
First, it may have been a mess, but it was a beautiful mess. It was glorious. It was fun. The Apple II, the IBM PC and DOS, Commodore, Atari, Acorn. The TI-99/4A.
Gruber argues that we need a beautiful mess again in the PC market. I agree. After all, it’s been fun watching the smartphone industry, which is arguably an operating system mess. There’s Android, iPhone, Research in Motion, Palm, Windows Mobile and Symbian. There’s no clear winner yet—and it’s fun. The OS scrum in the mobile industry is a beautiful mess.
Gruber’s argument to counter all the hand-wringing over a world with a bunch of operating systems: The Web is the glue that will bridge these operating systems. Many of the incompatibility root causes—file formats, various CPUs and storage set-ups—have been solved. Simply put, the industry is better equipped to allow 1,000 operating systems to bloom.
He’s right. And the multiple OS argument is something to keep in mind today as Google dishes out a little more information about the Chrome OS.
November 19th, 2009
AT&T launches Verizon counter-punch ad, keeps digging that hole
AT&T may have lost the legal battle with Verizon Wireless over a marketing campaign that compares the 3G coverage of both carriers. But that doesn’t mean AT&T is going away quietly.
The company is airing a commercial of its own, which features actor Luke Wilson inside what appears to be a warehouse, standing in front of an orange magnet board with a checklist that compares AT&T and Verizon. (Techmeme)
When it comes to the fastest 3G network, AT&T wins, Wilson says. If you want to talk and surf at the same time, AT&T wins. Who has the most popular smartphones? AT&T, of course, home of the iPhone. Who provides access to more than 100,000 apps? You guessed it. Then, in the category, he asks which has a name that starts with the letter V.
I’ll give AT&T credit for making the attempt to even the playing field but - and maybe this is just me - the commercial felt sort of low-budget, like something thrown together in haste. Cheap set. Cheap props. Marketing messages in place of statistics. What is it telling me that’s new? I’ve been hearing that “Nation’s fastest 3G network” for some time now. As far as that “talk and surf” feature, I’m assuming that refers to tethering - mostly because Mr. Wilson doesn’t elaborate - but last time I heard, AT&T still wasn’t offering that for the iPhone.
November 19th, 2009
The future of...remote controls
How often do you lose the TV remote? ZDNet correspondent Sumi Das explains why the days of digging under couch cushions may be numbered thanks to sensors and chips that can “see” and “understand” hand gestures.
November 19th, 2009
News to know: Dreamforce, Chatter; AT&T-Verizon; Sony e-reader; ChromeOS; Office 2010
Here are today’s notable headlines. You can get News To Know via email alert and RSS daily. For continuous updates see BNET’s around-the-Web tech coverage:
Sam Diaz: Salesforce kicks off Dreamforce, announces Chatter
- Dennis Howlett: Salesforce Chatter: what a clanger!
- Dave Greenfield: Salesforce Chatter: Facebook for the Enterprise
- Dion Hinchcliffe: Salesforce Chatter: Social operating systems emerge on the IT stage
- Michael Krigsman: Dreamforce: Quick first impressions
- Dreamforce: Benioff introduces Chatter
Sam DIaz: AT&T loses lawsuit over Verizon’s map commercial
Larry Dignan: Sony in danger of fumbling its big e-reader shot
- Matthew Miller: Sony Reader Daily Edition now available for pre-order
- Rachel King: Sony Reader Daily Edition available for pre-order now; unclear when you’ll get it
- New York Times: Cellphone Apps Challenge the Rise of E-Readers
Dana Blankenhorn: Google-Microsoft rivalry on with ChromeOS launch
Mary Jo Foley: Microsoft Office 2010, SharePoint 2010 public betas now available for download
Adrian Kingsley-Hughes: Netbook/notebook reliability study shows that technology breaks …
Mary Jo Foley: Pivot: Microsoft’s experiment to ‘view the Web as a web’
Joe McKendrick: No SOAP for this Navy
Janice Chen: Digital cameras enable Web-based Spontaenous Smiley art project
Jason D. O’Grady: Gallery: Unboxing Chumby One
Dana Blankenhorn: Practice Fusion in PHR game
Brian Sommer: A Tale of Two Software Worlds: Old ERP vs. SaaS
Mary Jo Foley: Microsoft shares a few tidbits on IE9 and (lots) more on Silverlight 4
Sean Portnoy: Full Wal-Mart Black Friday ad hits Internet, complete with Samsung, Sony HDTV deals
Doug Hanchard: Web and Newspaper Journalist joins FCC
Harry Fuller: California Dreamin’ revisited
ZDNet UK: Intel to use EC slip-up in antitrust defense
Ryan Naraine: Mozilla locks out rogue Firefox add-ons
Mary Jo Foley: Microsoft PDC Live Blog Day Two: IE, Silverlight 4.0 and more
TechCrunch: My Space Signs Agreement To Acquire iMeem
Mary Jo Foley: So where’s Microsoft’s Live Mesh?
Andrew Mager: Forget touch screen, just breathe into it
Robin Harris: Disks: why size means performance
Rachel King: Ultra-slim Casio EX-G1 is ready to take on some damage
Andrew Nusca: Rumored HTC ‘Dragon’ Google phone to spar with iPhone, Droid
Doug Hanchard: Royal Navy gets creative in attracting engineers - develop online game
LinkedIn Blog: Coming Soon: Your Professional Network within Microsoft Outlook
Dana Blankenhorn: Why electronic health records have far to go
Larry Dignan: IBM makes progress toward ‘thinking’ computing system
Doug Hanchard: Selling customer information leads to prosecution
November 18th, 2009
AT&T loses lawsuit over Verizon's map commercial
It was almost a gimme. The lawsuit that AT&T filed over a Verizon commercial that compared the 3G coverage maps for the two providers in the U.S. was such a joke from the beginning, it was hard think that a judge would rule against Verizon. 
Today, a federal judge in Atlanta declined AT&T’s request for a temporary restraining order that would have forced Verizon to pull the ads, according to a CNET report.
AT&T had argued that timing was critical because the holiday season, which is a sales period for mobile devices, was approaching quickly and AT&T felt that the commercials were misleading consumers. At issue was the colors on the maps to represent 3G coverage - the AT&T map had a lot of “blank space’ to represent areas in the U.S. that didn’t have 3G coverage.
AT&T didn’t dispute the accuracy of the maps and, in a court filing earlier this week, Verizon argued that the restraining order be denied because the maps were not factually incorrect. In short, Verizon said the ads were true and that the truth hurts.
Related coverage: Memo to AT&T: When you’re in a hole, stop digging
November 18th, 2009
Dreamforce: Benioff introduces Chatter
At Dreamforce Global Gathering 2009 in San Francisco, Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff and technology head Parker Harris show attendees Chatter, a new collaboration and social media tool built for the enterprise. Benioff says the new tool will leverage social-networking models and bring them into a secure and private cloud where people, content, and applications will have profile feeds and groups.
November 18th, 2009
Sony in danger of fumbling its big e-reader shot
Sony says it can’t guarantee shipments for its latest e-readers for the holidays and that could be a big issue as it tries to compete with Amazon’s Kindle and Barnes & Noble’s nook.
Here’s all you need to see from the SonyStyle store:
When Sony launched its latest e-readers in August the company said it would be set to meet holiday demand. Now that the demand is here Sony isn’t so sure about the supply.
Also: Sony Reader Daily Edition available for pre-order now; unclear when you’ll get it
Barnes & Noble is also cutting it close for Christmas deliveries, but says it can hit the Dec. 18 shipment date.
If Sony and Barnes & Noble struggle it will be a big win for Amazon’s Kindle.
Related: Retail distribution may tip e-reader race; Barnes & Noble rolls out Nook
Larry Dignan is Editor in Chief of ZDNet and Editorial Director of ZDNet sister site TechRepublic. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.
For daily updates, follow Larry on Twitter.
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White Papers, Webcasts, and Downloads
- The Impact of Virtualization Software on Operating Environments VMware Today's use of virtualization technology allows IT professionals to ... Download Now
- Five Steps to Determine When to Virtualize YourServers VMware Server virtualization isn't just for big companies. Entry-level ... Download Now
- Why Isn't Server Virtualization Saving Us More? A Few Small Changes May Dramatically Increase Your Efficiency VMware Companies have rapidly adopted server virtualization over the past few ... Download Now
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