Insights For Success

Strategy, Innovation, Leadership and Security

Microsoft

OnLive Desktop brings Windows 7 to your tablet

IOS, Microsoft, OnLive, Tablet, Windows, iPad, iPhoneEdward Kiledjian

OnLive is an innovative company that offers to stream console games to your TV, PC or tablet. So you can start a game on your TV, then move to the PC and continue playing them at the airport on your ipad as you wait for the plane. What amazes most people is just how smooth the graphics are for a remotely streamed offering.

The fine folks at OnLive are now bringing their remote streaming expertise to the wonderful world of Windows. They will be bringing to market (on January 12 2012) a new offering called OnLive Desktop. You will be presented with a full windows 7 operating system loaded with the Microsoft Office productivity apps you have come to love. What really sets them apart is that the entire experience is touch optimized and is so well designed, you can even stream a video and watch it on your device with little degradation or artifacting.

We know that their basic entry level offering will be free and offer some basic apps with 2GB of cloud storage. The next tier will be $9.99 and offer 50GB of cloud storage and the full suite of Microsoft Office productivity tools. An enterprise version is also in the works with all of the customization and control companies expect.

Google acquired another 217 patents from IBM.

Apple, Google, IBM, Microsoft, PatentsEdward Kiledjian

Engadget is reporting that Google recently acquired 217 patents from their big blue brother( aka IBM). The transaction was posted in the USPO assignment database on Tuesday. Some analysts have looked at the patents in question and have said they include techniques related to email administration, Instant messaging, video conferencing, presentation software and the like.

Just a reminder that they also acquired another 1000 patents from Big Blue in July of 2011, 1023 in September of 2011 and bought Motorola Mobility which also had a vast patent portfolio.

Could they leverage these patents to protect Android against legal attacks from Apple and Microsoft?

Read More: Link

Internet Explorer 6 is dead. Long live IE.

Browsers, Chrome, Firefox, Google, Internet, Internet Explorer, Microsoft, USA, WindowsEdward Kiledjian

Many of us thought IE 6 was already dead but it seems we were wrong. As its share of the web browser market fell to below 1%, Redmond finally gave it a one-two sucker punch. IE6 is now officially down for the count. Roger Capriotti , the Microsoft director in charge of IE marketing said : “IE6 has been the punch line of browser jokes for a while, and we’ve been as eager as anyone to see it go away.”

StatCounter’s latest report shows that Chrome 15 is now the most popular single version browser in the world (surpassing IE8). Combining all versions of all browsers, Internet Explorer is still king of the browser hill.

Read More: Link

Smartphone activations don't matter (iphone or android)

Android, Apple, Cell Phones, Google, IOS, Microsoft, WP7, WebOS, iPhoneEdward Kiledjian

Whether you’re in the Apple or Android smartphone camp, at one time or another, your side used creative statistics interpretation to justify why you are the market favorite. The numbers used most often are total activations or total devices sold. But how important are these numbers?

Until a platform reaches critical mass, it is very important for the manufacturer to keep pushing the platform forward. With critical user mass come the apps which in turn will drive additional growth.  So a platform needs enough users to make the platform interesting to developers but after that point, who cares!

I want Google and Apple to spend less time trying to creatively interpret statistics and more time improving their user experience.

Forrester says companies should support Apple Computers

Apple, Forrester, Microsoft, Strategy, Windows, technologyEdward Kiledjian

When we thing of Apple computers, we usually think graphic arts departments  or young hipsters but what would you say if a major research organization endorsed it as a productivity tool? Could it be? Has that day come. Oh yes my friends it has… Forrester Research calls Apple users within corporations “Highly Empowered and Resourceful Operatives”.  They claim that this 17% of the corporate population is the one that pushes the most innovation.

For non subscribers, the report costs $500 but you can read the most important snippets on this blog. 

Mac users forced to use PCs now feel a “slowdown” making them less productive. Particularly the ones accustomed to working with SSD equipped Apple devices. A 2008 report from Forrester said "Unless your market is a niche business group, Windows is the only desktop you need support."