A Tale of Two Demos: Innovation vs. Desperation
One sure way to turn off consumers with your new features is to implement them in ways that are destructive to the core functionality of your product. For example, who wants to send an instant message from within a movie? Especially using an application that overwhelms the film, reducing it to a screen size of less than 25 inches on your 52-inch display?  :: more ::

Could The Cloud Lead To An Even Bigger 9/11?
Late last week I attended an event sponsored by IBM/Lotus and Technology Review. A very credible "End of the U.S." doomsday scenario tied to the public cloud was outlined that I believe warrants further thought. Charles Burns, who I used to work with at Giga Information Group and now works at Saugatuck Technology, was the one who brought this subject up. Be aware: In the following discussion, I'm talking about something that is in the future -- not a risk that currently exists -- but one we still need to plan for.  :: more ::

Intel + Nokia: In search of relevance
Intel and Nokia announced a strategic relationship this week, a relationship that would point to a cooperation targeting the development of next-generation communicatiosn devices. The smartphone space is defined by four product vendors and one processor - none of which are currently Intel or Nokia. ARM is the dominant processor technology that is supplied by companies like Marvell, which uses technology that has been picked up up from Intel and Qualcomm. What is the tactical and strategic outlook of this segment, in which only one thing is certain: Going forward, you'll generally want a smartphone other than the one you actually have.  :: more ::

Hands-On with a Monster: Alienware's M17x
I can't tell you how much I look forward to getting a new notebook from Alienware. This is one of the few companies that seem to understand that a gaming notebook needs to look like it eats Apple products for lunch and scares the hell out of small children before dinner. The M17x is one of those products. You actually have to see in person to get a sense for how impressive it is. :: more ::

WHAT ROB IS SAYING

[Rob, on the Intel European Commission fine] [Analyst Rob Enderle of the Enderle Group said Intel's legal dilemma is striking for another reason: The company, especially under Grove, has always been known for its keen focus on legal matters.] Grove "recognized that with dominance was going to come a series of challenges and he realized a lot of them were going to be legal. Intel really put in place a legal defensive weapon. ...Andy Grove built this organization and made sure Intel never blatantly crossed the line."
For Intel CEO Otellini, It's Time To Get Paranoid

[Rob, on Microsoft revealing a revamped Internet search engine] "When a competitor reaches the kind of dominance Google has, it's almost impossible to catch them. This is really testing whether Microsoft can still do what they did when they were young, which is enter a market from behind and catch up. They haven't had what it takes to do that for a long time… Microsoft has made some massive investments in both acquisitions and people, and they haven't gotten anything for it yet. If after all this time with all this money, they still can't do anything, it really may be time to go back to square one."
Microsoft Said to Be Unveiling New Search Engine

[Rob, on AOL succeeding on its own] "The odds are really against them, but those odds improve with separation. AOL is largely irrelevant on the Web, but they have a powerful brand. They need to figure out how to be hip and relevant again. They're not going to get there by trying to out-Google Google, or out-Facebook Facebook or out-Twitter Twitter. They have to figure out a space they can own."
Time Warner, AOL to Split

[Rob, on Qualcomm's new brand of netbooks called smartbooks] [Rob Enderle of Enderle Group believes smartbooks, like smart phones, will need subsidies and application stores to thrive.] "In these cloud computing kinds of products, the back end is more important. Qualcomm will need to offer a complete solution--hardware, software, hosted services--to make smartbooks seem as compelling as traditional notebooks."
Qualcomm's Smarter Netbooks

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