ZDNet Must Read:
SAP: New leadership, same old story?
SAP CEO Leo Apotheker has resigned and two of his former lieutenants---Bill McDermott, head of sales and Jim Hagemann Snabe, head of product development---have become co-CEOs. Are these two executives... Continued »
February 8th, 2010
News to know: SAP; Facebook Mobile; Google ad; Kindle; Macworld 2010
News to know: Here are today’s notable headlines. You can get News To Know via email alert and RSS daily. For continuous updates are BNET’s around-the-Web tech coverage:
Larry Dignan: SAP: New leadership, same old story?
- Michael Krigsman: SAP changes leaders: Time for innovation
- Dennis Howlett: SAP: Apotheker gone, co-CEO’s appointed
Zack Whittaker: Facebook mobile: 5m users, 1 month, 2.2bn minutes
Garett Rogers: Google wouldn’t have run their ad if it wasn’t for statistics
Adrian Kingsley-Hughes: As $9.99 ebooks evaporate, Amazon’s Kindle will suffer
Jason D. O’Grady: Speaking at Macworld 2010
Andrew Mager: The Superbowl meets social science
Rachel King: Microsoft dropping Xbox LIVE service on original consoles, games
Jason Perlow: iPad’s iBooks: Give Us The Tools
Harry Fuller: Science underlying global warming–what do we “know?”
Sean Portnoy: Lenovo ThinkPad X201T tablet with Core i7 CPU coming soon?
Zack Whittaker: The digital Cold War: Information is the new electoral ballot
Chris Jablonski: Report: Acts of space warfare likely by 2025
Garett Rogers: Chrome v5.0.317.0: Another reason to ditch Firefox
Rachel King: More Windows Mobile 7 rumors; will it really not support multi-tasking?
Brian Sommer: NetSuite’s Revenue in light of the bigger ERP revenue question
Andrew Nusca: Dell upgrades Precision M6500 ‘beast’ with USB 3.0, Core i5
Dana Gardner: ISM3 brings greater standardization to security measurement across enterprise IT
Garett Rogers: Apple bans “Android” from app store
Doug Hanchard: Excessive use of Internet can lead to depression
Paul Murphy: Trust but verify: evaluating the message, not the messenger
Dennis Howlett: Forrester crimps bloggers: epic E2.0 fail
Sean Portnoy: Sony Bravia KDL-40EX40B LCD/Blu-ray combo available for pre-order at $899
Mary Jo Foley: Windows 7 battery update: Still no conclusive findings
Adrian Kingsley-Hughes: Is Apple paying UK customers $300 to get faulty 27-inch iMacs back?
Heather Clancy: Can a new format challenge LEDs for energy efficiency?
Janice Chen: Nikon’s 2010 Coolpix digital cameras: 1080p video, compact megazooms, and more
Matthew Miller: MobileTechRoundup show #165, Nexus One, Pre Plus, and Overdrive
Ryan Naraine: Oracle rushes out patch for gaping server hole
February 7th, 2010
SAP: New leadership, same old story?
SAP CEO Leo Apotheker has resigned and two of his former lieutenants—Bill McDermott, head of sales and Jim Hagemann Snabe, head of product development— have become co-CEOs. Are these two executives the answer or does SAP need some outside intervention?
Dennis Howlett, Vinnie Mirchandani and Michael Krigsman have the hits, runs and errors. Apotheker created SAP’s sales juggernaut and goes out in a terse statement. Apotheker’s departure—voluntary or otherwise—has been rumored for months. He raised prices in a downturn and never quite bridged the sales-technology gap. Oracle has out-executed SAP in many cases.
Job one for McDermott and Snabe: Hug the customers so they feel good about paying maintenance fees and innovate.
Mirchandani summed up the elephant in the enterprise software market:
February 5th, 2010
Microsoft, Facebook expand search partnership; Facebook to sell own ads
Microsoft and Facebook have revised their search pact into a global deal where the social networking giant will sell its own ads and get more of Bing’s features on its Web results.
In a blog post, Microsoft outlined the changes:
- Facebook users will get the full-featured version of Bing beyond links for the site’s Web search;
- The deal becomes a global pact that will bring Bing to Facebook users abroad;
- And Facebook will sell its own display ads.
The revised deal makes a lot of sense on many fronts. First, Facebook should be selling its own display ads so it can work on better targeting—the ads do seem to be getting better in recent weeks—and control its revenue destiny.
Jon Tinter, general manager of Bing, said:
Given the kinds of advertisements that make sense within a product as unique as Facebook, it just made more sense for them to take the lead on this part of their advertising strategy. Microsoft will continue to provide search advertisements to Facebook.
The other parts of the pact also seem to work out for both parties. Bing gets to show off enhancements via its exclusive Web search results on Facebook, which is gaining more clout and scale each month.
Meanwhile, the international partnership could be a big win for Microsoft as it seeks market share for Bing.
Tinter added:
Bing has been very focused on helping customers make important decisions. We believe that counsel from family and friends can be a big part of that process. Going deeper in web search experiences with Facebook, in addition to the collaboration we announced last October about bringing public data from Facebook’s API into the search experience, will enable us to do great things together for our customers.
These changes are supposed to start appearing in the weeks and months ahead. Financial terms weren’t revealed.
February 5th, 2010
Amazon losing the e-book pricing battle: Will content trump distribution?
Amazon continues to joust with book publishers over the price of e-books. The skirmish started a week ago with a showdown with Macmillan, spread to Harper Collins and now includes Hachette. These battles boil down to one question: Does content trump distribution or vice versa?
First, the background.
As noted earlier in the week, the Macmillan battle—Amazon pulled Macmillan books from the Kindle store and then capitulated on pricing—just invited other publishers to play hard ball. The battle boils down like this:
- Amazon was pricing e-books at $9.99 under a wholesale model;
- Publishers wanted an “agency” model where they dictate prices and give the distributor a cut;
- Publishers want new digital releases priced at $12.99 to $14.99 and Apple obliged with its iPad and book store;
- Now Amazon has a real problem and has to cave.
Simply put, Apple set off a lot of disruption in Amazon’s model. Macmillan has ads bashing Amazon, which is kind of silly when Macmillan CEO John Sargent then pens a letter with passages like this:
Over the last few years we have been deeply concerned about the pricing of electronic books. That pricing, combined with the traditional business model we were using, was creating a market that we believe was fundamentally unbalanced. In the last three weeks, from a standing start we have moved to a new business model. We will make less money on the sale of e books, but we will have a stable and rational market…
A word about Amazon. This has been a very difficult time. Many of you are wondering what has taken so long for Amazon and Macmillan to reach a conclusion. I want to assure you that Amazon has been working very, very hard and always in good faith to find a way forward with us. Though we do not always agree, I remain full of admiration and respect for them. Both of us look forward to being back in business as usual.
News Corp. CEO Rupert Murdoch, who owns Harper Collins, piled on earlier this week on the company’s earnings conference call:
Harper Collins is one of the world’s leading publishing houses with much improved profitability. There is no doubt we have been at the forefront of the global debate about the value of content. At times that debate has been intense but that was essential when the stakes were so high. Far too many content companies were passive in the face of predatory behavior and self-serving [sophistry]. Passivity and meekness are not characteristics of our company. A year ago our criticism was thought heretical. But somehow the profane has become profound and the content clan has gathered around our ideas.
As I said earlier, the value of content is now clear. Instead of the existential debate about value now we are merely haggling over valuations. Consumers want content to be delivered immediately and on a ray of devices that suit their needs and they are willing to pay to be entertained and informed.
Without content the ever larger and flatter screens, the tablets, e-readers and the increasingly sophisticated mobile phones would be lifeless. Without content these ingenious and wonderful devices would be unloved and unsold.
And then there’s the email from Hachette Book Group USA CEO David Young via Media Bistro:
There are many advantages to the agency model, for our authors, retailers, consumers, and publishers. It allows Hachette to make pricing decisions that are rational and reflect the value of our authors’ works.
Add it up and publishing houses want a “rational market” according to them. This rational market is the same one that music companies wanted—and lost to Apple’s pricing model. Content companies learned from that and don’t want Amazon to make $9.99 the e-book template.
What side of the equation should dictate pricing: Content or distribution? The tug-of-war over this question flares up repeatedly. Content companies slug it out with cable distributors over fees. NBC Universal pulled its content from Apple’s iTunes for a bit—only to return and cook up Hulu. Google is duking it out with the Associated Press. Now we get the Amazon skirmish.
Simply put, content and distribution need each other. However, distribution has won the day throughout the Internet age. After all, you buy Google and Amazon shares and not newspaper stocks like Gannett and the New York Times. We’ve been told for years—by media titans—that content is king, but I’ve seen little evidence that backs the statement up.
This distribution vs. content discussion came up on the Enterprise Irregular email list. The consensus seemed to be that distribution still wins and book publishers are reacting to a shift in power away from them—just like the music industry and Hollywood. Others noted that book publishers would be better off adopting innovative models such as Tim O’Reilly’s.
Is it different this time? Probably not, Amazon’s distribution power may have taken a hit, but it’s just a matter of time before digital content starts dictating time to market and book publishers have to speed up their publishing models. Vinnie Mirchandani, who is publishing a book, is stunned by how long it takes to bring a completed product to market. The book supply chain is a mess. Content companies can fight all they want to preserve their current models—and maybe even notch a few victories—but their ways of doing business will be disrupted by new distribution vehicles in the end.
February 5th, 2010
Comparing salaries: No, thanks. Not in this economic climate
There’s an interesting survey being released today by Glassdoor.com, a site that tracks and compares salaries by job type, industry and geography. Sure, it offers up some statistics and such but it also points out how the recession also adjusted salaries. In different times, it seems that some people were a bit more open about their salaries, sharing and comparing with others in their offices or professions.
But now, in an age of layoffs, pay cuts, bonus eliminations and forced work furloughs, employees aren’t so eager to talk about their paychecks - maybe because it’s depressing or embarrassing or simply a subject that’s just too sensitive to even discuss.
The folks at Glassdoor say that there’s a “new normal” when it comes to salaries and, without some comparisons, it’s harder for co-workers to know if their salaries are on track, below average or - dare I say - above average.
When it comes to talking about salaries, 17 percent of the survey respondents said they are not comfortable talking about their salaries with anyone, up from 11 percent a year ago. Those who are comfortable talking about it actually prefer to talk to family or friends about it, instead of someone who has the ability to make salary adjustments, such as a boss. Among employees willing to talk money, 33 percent said they’ll do so with a friend while only 25 percent will talk to the boss and 18 percent will talk to an HR rep. Glassdoor.com career and workplace expert Rusty Rueff said, in a statement:
February 5th, 2010
IBM hits graphene transistor breakthrough
IBM Research on Friday will announce that it has demonstrated a radio-frequency graphene transistor with the highest frequency (100 GigaHertz) so far.
Graphene is a special form of graphite, consisting of a layer of carbon atoms packed in honeycomb lattice. In a nutshell, graphene is like “atomic scale chick wire.” Graphene’s properties could lead to faster transistors.
IBM’s paper, which will be published in Science, details how the latest graphene breakthrough could enable new communications devices and electronics. The paper was penned by Phaedon Avouris, IBM Fellow and manager of the company’s nanometer scale science and technology research team.
Big Blue along with DARPA is looking to develop carbon electronics.
The graphene transistor IBM demonstrated is already faster than the state-of-the-art transistors today, which have a cut off of 40 Ghz using the same architecture.
Here’s an excerpt from IBM’s paper:
The high carrier mobility in graphene makes it a promising candidate for high-speed electronic devices. As the thinnest possible electronic material of merely one atom thick, graphene offers great potential to create the smallest and fastest transistors among all semiconductor materials (1). Proof-of-concept demonstration of graphene-based electronics has been provided by demonstrating DC operation of field-effect transistors (FETs) – the fundamental building block of modern microelectronics – using graphene flakes extracted from natural graphite (2), and more recently, graphene films produced by decomposition of the surface of silicon carbide (SiC) substrates (3) or by chemical vapor deposition of hydrocarbons on catalytic metal surfaces (4). In spite of the high hopes and claims for the debut of the era of carbon electronics over the last decade, the missing critical tests for evaluating the viability of this new material for practical applications lie in the challenges of demonstrating high-speed (radio frequency, RF), high-performance graphene devices, and their compatibility with wafer-scale fabrication that would enable complex circuit integration.
February 5th, 2010
News to know: Microsoft; IBM; SuccessFactors; Pluto images
News to know: Here are today’s notable headlines. You can get News To Know via email alert and RSS daily. For continuous updates are BNET’s around-the-Web tech coverage:
Ryan Naraine: Microsoft’s Mega Patch Tuesday ahead
- Dancho Danchev: Does Blippy really pose a security risk?
Larry Dignan: SuccessFactors makes first acquisition; Buys Inform for $40.5 million
- Dennis Howlett: NetSuite hits record earnings
IBM hits graphene transistor breakthrough
Mary Jo Foley: Microsoft schedules 12 Windows Phone sessions for Mix 10 conference
Mark Cuban: Why Have So Many Internet People Lost Touch With Reality ?
Microsoft, NSF team to provide research in the cloud
Sam Diaz: Google Store View: Imagine the possibilities, concerns
Gallery: Most-detailed images of Pluto revealed
Adrian Kingsley-Hughes: Toyota’s Prius problems: Software, hardware and the future of motoring
NYT: Microsoft’s Creative Destruction
- Foley: Microsoft’s challenge: Innovation, innovation, innovation
- Microsoft: Measuring Our Work by Its Broad Impact
U.S. House passes cybersecurity research bill
Pondering a robot as co-worker
NASA, GM unveil Robonaut2 (photos)Dion Hinchcliffe: SAP’s 12Sprints joins the social enterprise bandwagon
- Dennis Howlett: Oracle: let’s all play fair
Dana Gardner: Real-time web data services in action at German stock exchange
- New definition of enterprise architecture emphasizes ‘fit for purpose’ across IT undertakings
- The Open Group SOA Work Group making strides to deepen link between TOGAF and SOA
Heather Clancy: Green Grid prepping new efficiency estimator, power calculator
Paula Rooney: Is mobile Firefox going to be too late?
IBM launches Lotus Symphony 3 beta; Office alternatives pile up
Google: WWII historical imagery in Google Earth
Rachel King: Inbrics bringing ultra-thin, Android-based MID M1 slider phone to MWC 2010
- The Internet makes short list for 2010 Nobel Peace Prize nominees
- Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 arriving in the UK in April
- Lenovo introduces T410i, T410si and T510i ThinkPad laptops with Intel Core i3-330M
- Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 can dual-boot with Windows Mobile, Android 2.0.1
- Joojoo tablet computer now in full production mode, will ship soon
Tom Foremski: Classified ads plunge to $6bn from $19.6bn in 2000
Sean Portnoy: Gateway recharges its FX gaming desktops with Core i7 CPUs, Radeon HD 5850 graphics
NYT: Sun’s Chief Executive Tweets His Resignation
Sam Diaz: AT&T says 3G is ready for streaming Sling video. Really?
Michael Krigsman: Analyst relations: Failure in action
Top 30 iPad games we’d like to see (right)
Let compliance lead the way in preventing healthcare data breaches
Jason O’Grady: Browser previews come to App Store
- Episode 124: PowerPage Podcast
- Zack Whittaker: Students: Don’t get an iPad. Please.
- Apple accused of copying iPad design
Aussie ISP, Pirate Party win BitTorrent file-sharing case
Dignan: Lenovo sales surge; Company hits stride in third quarter
- Kingsley-Hughes: AMD/ATI Radeon HD 5450 - A $50 multimedia GPU
Computerworld: Sony interested in challenging Apple’s iPad
Dan Kusnetzky: Swype text entry for smart handhelds
PaidContent: Comcast-NBCU Hearings: Zucker Confronted About Hulu’s Boxee Block
Christopher Dawson: SMS, social media in for kids; blogging, Twitter out
Dana Blankenhorn: Crossing the line to the Internet Generation
Make-or-buy balance still unclear in 2011 Defense and Veteran budgets
February 4th, 2010
Google Store View: Imagine the possibilities, concerns
Credit: Search Engine Land
As much as I hate to chime in on a rumor, this one is kind of cool when you consider the potential good and bad that could stem from it. A post on Search Engine Land suggests that Google is gearing up for a “Store View” feature, similar to the street view feature in Google Maps.
The idea is that Google would come into a retail store with its special 360-degree camera - just like it mounted on cars and trikes to capture images of streets and trails - to capture images of… actually, what’s so interesting about the inside of a store? The products on the shelves? Why would I need to “see” the cereal aisle at a grocery store from my computer or phone? And wouldn’t those products be moved around regularly? Maybe I just get to walk the store aisles, but why would I be interested in a store’s layout.
Obviously there could be some very cool interactive retail, e-commerce tools and features that could be built into such a view, especially in niche stores that cater to specialty items. Imagine taking the store view inside a shopping mall and then entering a virtual store where you can buy actual products? That would take holiday shopping to a new level.
Maybe it could be used to give people a virtual tour of museums or other attractions? Somehow it would be great for real estate agents to be able to offer a “house view” of the interior of a home for prospective buyers.
Obviously, some images like that take privacy concerns to a whole new level. I certainly wouldn’t want just anyone to be able to take a virtual stroll through the inside of my house.
Clearly, there’s a balance that would be needed. But if Google is, in fact, looking into store view imagery, it opens to the door to a number of potential revenue-generating routes to explore - for both Google and advertisers looking for yet another cutting-edge way to set themselves apart from competitors and attract new customers.
February 4th, 2010
SuccessFactors makes first acquisition; Buys Inform for $40.5 million
SuccessFactors on Thursday said that it will acquire Inform Business Impact, a privately held company that focuses on performance measurement and workforce planning software, for $40.5 million. The deal is the first in SuccessFactors’ history.
Inform, formerly known as Infohrm, has about 134 customers, 24 of them in the Fortune 500. Inform is an on-demand software provider. The company will help build out SuccessFactors’ business analytics service (statement).
In September, SuccessFactors made the move to focus on business execution software, which doubled its addressable market. In October, SuccessFactors raised more cash via a secondary offering. With cash on hand, SuccessFactors went shopping. Before the Infohrm purchase, SuccessFactors was focused totally on organic growth, said Paul Albright, chief marketing officer at the company.
Also: SuccessFactors plots another course: Business execution software
SaaS consolidation is near as the big guys add to war chest
Meanwhile, SuccessFactors said it has hired Judy Blegen as vice president of merger and acquisition integration. Blegen, who was operations director at Cisco Systems, was involved with corporate development and venture investments at the networking giant. The hiring of Blegen is a good indicator that SuccessFactors is planning more acquisitions.
Here’s what Inform, which is owned by its CEO Peter Howes, brings to SuccessFactors:
- Data performance measurement tools;
- Benchmarking capabilities and the content that goes with the metrics;
- A global footprint since Infohrm operates in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific.
In 2009, Inform had about $15 million in revenue. SuccessFactors said the $40.5 million price tag breaks down like this:
- $25.5 million in cash;
- $15 million in SuccessFactors shares;
- The remainder based on performance and retaining key employees.
Here’s a look at the Inform software:
Separately, SuccessFactors reported a fourth quarter net loss of 4 cents a share (statement). On a non-GAAP basis earnings were a penny a share. The results were in line with expectations. SuccessFactors reported fourth quarter revenue of $42.2 million, up 28 percent a year ago. Wall Street was expecting revenue of $39.72 million.
February 4th, 2010
AOL media president Bill Wilson departs; Google's David Eun to replace
AOL media president Bill Wilson is leaving the company, CEO Tim Armstrong told employees in a memo on Thursday.
He’ll be replaced by David Eun, Google’s former vice president of strategic partnerships.
Armstrong writes:
After nine years with the company and after the significant changes we made this year moving from licensing content to becoming a principle in content, he wants to take a step back. Bill built a strong management team and laid the groundwork for the content strategy that we’re now pursuing. While I’m disappointed by his decision, I respect his intent and have asked him to work with me, not only to find his replacement but also to transition with that person to ensure that, as a company, we don’t miss a beat on the execution of our content strategy.
Armstrong added that content “is at the core” of AOL’s strategy and that the company plans to scale its content platforms, production and partnerships to offer original content and attract people to its sites.
Wilson is credited with positioning AOL’s content in key verticals and will stay on through May 1. Based in New York, Eun will begin March 1.
“AOL is now in a phase of transition from playing defense to playing offense,” Armstrong wrote. “As I said on the employee earnings call yesterday, AOL’s back in the game and we’re playing to win. We have a lot of work to do, but we’re going to do it.”
February 4th, 2010
AT&T says 3G is ready for streaming Sling video. Really?
I know AT&T has invested some money to improve its 3G service - yet I still find it hard to believe that the network has gone through so much work that it’s not only beefed up to handle the demands of the iPhone but now also the streaming video from a Sling Player app.
Add to that the recent news that the NexusOne will be tapping into the network and, when it hits stores, the Apple iPad, too. I hope I’m wrong when I say that I’m skeptical about AT&T’s readiness, especially since the network couldn’t handle the traffic during the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas just last month.
The companies issues a statement today to say that a new iPhone app - which is still awaiting approval from Apple - will enable the streaming of the video content from home over 3G networks. Previously, AT&T had limited streaming from Sling players to the devices WiFi connections, saying that it was concerned about strains that it would put on the 3G network.
In a statement released today, AT&T said the company has been testing the new app since mid-December and recently notified Sling and Appl that the optimization for 3G is ready for prime time. In a statement, AT&T Mobility CEO Ralph de la Vega said:
Just as we’ve worked with Sling Media in this instance, we look forward to collaborating with other developers so that mobile customers can access a wider, more bandwidth-sensitive, and powerful range of applications in the future. Collaboration with developers like Sling Media ensures that all apps are optimized for our 3G network to conserve wireless spectrum and reduce the risk that an app will cause such extreme levels of congestion that they disrupt the experience of other wireless customers.
Hmmmm. We’ll see.
February 4th, 2010
Pondering a robot as co-worker
This post originally appeared on SmartPlanet.
NASA and General Motors are collaborating on next generation robot technology. This robot, dubbed Robonaut 2 or R2 for short, could be your co-worker someday.
R2 is a humanoid robot capable of working alongside humans.
For GM, R2 would be used to test car safety and develop safer manufacturing plants. GM hopes to integrate robots with human workers. NASA would use R2 as a helper—or stand-in—for humans on space missions.
February 4th, 2010
IBM to design cloud computing network for Air Force
IBM said Thursday that it will unveil advanced cybersecurity and analytics technology as part of a 10-month project to design and demonstrate secure cloud computing infrastructure for the Air Force.
What’s in it for IBM? Cloud computing has a lot of interest, but security remains a worry for many IT buyers. If Big Blue can demonstrate cloud-based cyber security technologies that’s good enough for the military it would allay a lot of those worries.
The advanced cyber security and analytics technologies that will be used in the Air Force project were developed by IBM Research (statement).
According to IBM the project will show a cloud computing architecture that can support large networks and meet the government’s security guidelines. The Air Force network has almost 100 bases and 700,000 active military personnel.
Under the agreement, IBM researchers, software architects, security experts and analytics specialists will work with military personnel on the project. IBM also said it will utilize stream computing analytics. Toss that technology in with sensors, monitors and detection devices and the Air Force will have a ton of data to analyze.
Other key points about the project:
- The model will include autonomic computing;
- Dashboards will monitor the health of the network second-by-second;
- If Air Force personnel doesn’t shift to a “prevention environment” in a cyber attack the cloud will have automated services to lock the network down.
February 4th, 2010
Lenovo sales surge; Company hits stride in third quarter
Lenovo delivered a solid fiscal third quarter profit on strong PC sales in China and the U.S.
The PC maker reported an operating profit of $99 million, a sum that doubled the second quarter tally. Fiscal third quarter revenue was up 33 percent from a year ago to $4.8 billion.
Lenovo also said that it has 9 percent worldwide market share, its highest total in its history. In a statement, the company said that it has cut expenses and is operating efficiently using Lean Six Sigma in its supply chain to squeeze costs.
For the company (all resources), the results are proof that Lenovo has emerged as a fast-growing PC maker since the acquisition of IBM’s PC business.
By the numbers (statement):
- Lenovo’s third quarter China revenue was $2.3 billion, up 45 percent from a year ago. China represents 47 percent of Lenovo’s global sales.
- In emerging markets such as Russia, Asia Pacific and Middle East, Lenovo posted sales of $857 million, up 53 percent from a year ago.
- The company reported third quarter revenue of $1.7 billion in mature markets (U.S., Europe, Australia), up 13 percent from a year ago. Mature markets represent 35 percent of Lenovo’s sales.
- Notebook revenue was $3 billion, up 46 percent from a year ago. The company credited the Windows 7 launch and products like the IdeaPad consumer line for the sales growth.
February 4th, 2010
IBM launches Lotus Symphony 3 beta; Office alternatives pile up
IBM on Thursday rolled out the beta of Lotus Symphony 3.0, its free office productivity suite built on the OpenOffice.org code base.
The company launched Lotus Symphony as a free alternative in 2007. From that beta, IBM took Symphony to a general release in 2008. Jeannette Barlow, Symphony’s product manager, called the latest release of IBM’s free office suite “the most significant investment and enhancement from that original delivery.”
Barlow added that Symphony 3.0, which is a jump from the previous Symphony 1.3, reflects customer input from both enterprises and small businesses that participated in the IBM Lotus Foundations appliances.
Among the features in Symphony 3.0:
- Visual Basic Macros support;
- ODF 1.2 support improves file interoperability;
- Embedded audio/video allows users to add media directly to slides, documents and sheets;
- Autotext;
- Digital signatures;
- Redlines support;
- Usability enhancements.
The big question here is whether any of these upgrades will get folks to try free or alternatives to Microsoft Office. The good news for the market is that between IBM, OpenOffice and Google Apps there’s healthy competition for enterprise buyers to segment users. Light users may get a free suite while power Excel jockeys keep Microsoft Office.
Kevin Cavanaugh, vice president of messaging and collaboration at IBM, says the more customers are doing side-by-side implementations of free alternatives and Microsoft Office and cutting licenses where appropriate.
The challenge for alternatives to Office is clear: Break customer inertia. We all know the potential ROI case. Alternatives are largely free vs. paying Microsoft for Office. However, customers generally like Office and have no tolerance for that PowerPoint document that may not be formatted correctly with an alternative.
I plan on giving Symphony a whirl along with Google Docs, Zoho and other alternatives. In reality, I use a little bit of everything today. I’m probably a Google Docs-Office hybrid in practice with the once-in-a-while detour to Zoho.
But I’m stepping up on the evaluation of alternatives. I’m in the market for a laptop and pondering whether I need to get Microsoft Office loaded on it. On paper, it’s a simple decision—go elsewhere. But I’m one of those users that will throw a laptop through a window if there’s a formatting issue to deal with. I know the interoperability is 99.5 percent there for the most part, but as a user that 0.5 can drive me nuts. I’m also more comfortable with a desktop client or hybrid approach than a pure cloud suite.
I’ll report back on my alternatives to Office adventures.
February 4th, 2010
TR Dojo: Four free defragmentation tools for power users
Bill Detwiler examines four, free defragmentation utilities that are popular with TechRepublic members. Once you’ve watched this TR Dojo video, you can find a link to the original TechRepublic article and print the tip from our TR Dojo Blog.
February 4th, 2010
Yikes! Is Google really tapping the NSA for network security help?
Google, in an effort to put a better defense system in place following cyberattacks on the company’s infrastructure late last year, is partnering with the federal government to better protect itself, according to a report in today’s Washington Post.
The Post, citing unnamed sources, said that the National Security Agency would help Google analyze the December attacks to prevent them from happening again in the future. The Post’s report also stressed that a partnership “doesn’t mean that the NSA will be viewing users’ searches or e-mail accounts or that Google will be sharing proprietary data.”
The deal is still being finalized, sources told The Post. Still, it’s already making some experts a bit squeamish, concerned about the balance of information sharing between a company like Google and the federal government.
I have to admit that I feel the same way - squeamish.
In part, this is troublesome because a dark cloud over the NSA was born under a different political climate, one where there was widespread distrust about the government’s intrusion into private lives, with any sort of poaching of individual rights hiding under the “We’re fighting a war against terror” argument.
Secondly, this bothers me because Google is turning to the government for help in protecting the infrastructure. I mean no disrespect to my country or my government but I have to ask: Is Washington really the best choice if you’re looking for help with something as serious as cyber security. After all, I wouldn’t exactly place any Washington agency at the cutting edge when it comes to fighting what was referred to as one of the most sophisticated cyber attacks experts had ever seen.
I’d be willing to bet that Google, as well as other tech companies in Silicon Valley, are far better equipped for fighting a technological war with a country such as China. And let’s be honest about it. This is a war of technology, one where the targets of an attack have to be one technological step ahead of the cyber bad guys.
Is Google really putting the security of my personal information into the hands of the federal government for safekeeping? I certainly hope not. If I were a business considering making a move to Google’s cloud-based applications to manage my critical data, I might be forced to think twice if I knew Google was relying on the government for advice on how to keep it safe - regardless of whether or not the company was actually sharing the data with the feds.
It just doesn’t feel right.
Also see: Special Report: China, Google showdown
February 4th, 2010
News to know: Amazon; Google-Apple; Comcast Xfinity; Devour; Cisco;
News to know: Here are today’s notable headlines. You can get News To Know via email alert and RSS daily. For continuous updates are BNET’s around-the-Web tech coverage:
Larry Dignan: Amazon acquires touch screen startup; Souped up Kindle being planned?
Jason D. O’Grady: Google fires back at Apple with Nexus One update
- Sam Diaz: Is Android buzz starting to tarnish the iPhone’s luster?
- Andrew Nusca: Google Nexus One receives official multitouch support; software upgrade
Sean Portnoy: Comcast changing its name to Xfinity for cable, Internet, phone services
Andrew Nusca: Motorola unleashes Devour Android handset; Motoblur, Verizon
Sam Diaz: Cisco earnings: ‘Across the board’ sales acceleration
Larry Dignan: IBM buys Initiate; Bets on healthcare IT
- Dana Blankenhorn: IBM bets on necessity for health IT security with Initiate
Garett Rogers: Google pinches Apple’s head
- Dana Blankenhorn: Google narrowing Apple proprietary gap
John Morris: Intel reveals more details of its six-core Westmere chip
Harry Fuller: Famous geek says his Prius could be dangerous
Rachel King: Adobe strikes back at Apple over iPad/Flash debacle
Christopher Dawson: SMS, social media in for kids; blogging, Twitter out
Matthew Miller: World’s most popular smartphone OS, Symbian, is now 100% open and free
Larry Dignan: Yahoo unloads HotJobs to Monster
Andrew Nusca: CD-quality cellular phone calls finally arrive
Tom Foremski: Edelman Survey: Trust in tech industry increases over all others
Rachel King: CBS Outdoor unveils 3D outdoor ads at New York’s Grand Central Station
February 3rd, 2010
Yahoo unloads HotJobs to Monster
Yahoo said Wednesday that it will sell its HotJobs site to Monster Worldwide in a deal valued at $225 million. In 2001, Yahoo bought HotJobs for $436 million in stock and cash.
Under CEO Carol Bartz, Yahoo has been offloading so-called non-core businesses such as Zimbra. HotJobs fell into a similar category.
In the deal with Monster (statement), Yahoo will sell HotJobs and enter a three-year traffic agreement when the purchase closes. Monster will become Yahoo’s provider of career and jobs content on the U.S. and Canadian home pages.
The Yahoo-Monster agreement calls for annual payments based on clicks and job interest. The agreement also gives Monster the exclusive right to ink traffic pacts with Yahoo properties around the world.
Yahoo executive vice president Hilary Schneider said in a statement that the Monster deal allows it to focus on its core businesses. Monster gets to largely seal up the online job hunting market by consolidating job listings, expanding the pool of employers and growing reach.
Yahoo added that it would continue to manage the Newspaper Consortium partnership, which covers search and display advertising as well as content distribution. For instance, Yahoo’s HotJobs content appeared in Sunday newspapers.
February 3rd, 2010
Amazon acquires touch screen startup; Souped up Kindle being planned?
Amazon is reportedly buying Touchco, a start-up focused on touch screen technology, in a move that may signal a multi-touch Kindle in the future.
According to the New York Times, Amazon is acquiring Touchco, a New York-based company with 
a handful of employees and technology that was never commercialized.
Touchco was a project at New York University’s Media Research Lab. Terms of the deal weren’t available, but it doesn’t appear to be material enough to warrant much disclosure.
What does this deal mean?
For starters, the Kindle is likely to use this technology for a touch screen at some point. Amazon appears to be buying technology that could put the Kindle on similar footing with Apple’s iPad.
Touchco also has color screen technology with touch capabilities throughout. Amazon’s move is likely to be just the beginning. Expect a Kindle price cut shortly and then new models later this year.
Simply put, there’s a netbook/e-reader arms race underway. This should be fun.
Larry Dignan is Editor in Chief of ZDNet and Smart Planet as well as Editorial Director of ZDNet sister site TechRepublic. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.
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