Good point about Microsoft and BYOD. If Microsoft can convince IT departments that Windows Phone 8 should be an important part of the enterprise device mix, BYOD will be less of a threat. Perhaps if people try Windows Phone 8, they will like it. (I'll address this more in a reply to your comment about why Windows Phone hasn't been especially successful.)
All this is terrible news for RIM, which doesn't have new devices, new tablets, new apps, new content stores and any desktop or laptop. In short, RIM can't compete with the ecosystems of iOS, Android and Windows.
(Speaking of ecosystems, I expect to be getting the $249 Samsung Chromebook next week.)
As I just wrote to abdlah, people are increasingly picking devices based on the ecosystem or ecosystems they use: Apple, Android, Windows and even Amazon (which is why I think it's logical for Amazon to introduce its own phone).
If you own a Windows desktop/laptop, I think you have some incentive to at least try a Windows tablet or a Windows Phone. The problem is Windows Phone just hasn't caught on for many reasons, but perhaps Microsoft's marketing will encourage people to try it. I'm sure people certainly want to try the Surface because of Microsoft's marketing.
I'm sure that Windows Phone 8 is a very nice kind of Kool-Aid, especially if you like that particular flavor. I prefer Diet Dr. Pepper myself. I don't have a problem with Kool-Aid, except that it has too much sugar. Not my cup of tea. Seriously, if you like Windows 8, and Windows Phone, this is going to pretty much be a slam-dunk. If, on the other hand, you find the interface fiddly and more than a bit busy, you may want to opt for something quieter. The trouble is that Microsoft is the 800-pound gorilla in the market, and others will follow where this particular Pied Piper leads. That may not be in the best interests of the industry, or good taste.
More and more, people pick specific ecosystems. The iPhone and iPad certainly have helped Apple capture new iMac and MacBook users. People with Android phones might be more likely to purchase an Android tablet. RIM has a big problem in this ecosystem environment because it only has phones that are outdated and with applications that often are inferior, tablets with very few apps, no desktop or laptop.
Windows still controls the overwhelming majority of desktops, so Microsoft has an advantage if it pushes the ecosystem advantage of owning desktops/laptops, tablets and phones. Microsoft is doing this, especially promoting the entire Windows cloud ecosystem where your documents, photos and videos are in the cloud and accessible on any device.
People are very likely to have a Windows laptop or desktop, but Windows Phone hasn't caught on, for many reasons.
One problem, however, is Microsoft's mass market advertising touches everyone, and consumers will be very confused by Windows RT tablets that "do" Windows, but do almost entirely Metro apps. And consumers will be frustrated by the dual Metro/legacy app capabilities of Windows 8 on the desktop and Windows 8 Pro on tablets.
Enterprises certainly will (or should) be better informed.
Windows Phone 8, by itself, is a very nice operating system. It's when consumers and enterprises enter the entire Windows ecosystem with multiple types of devices that things get confusing.
I like Windows Phone 8 and think it's an excellent operating system. The problem is Windows 8 on the desktop and Windows RT on tablets.
Although all these devices have "Windows," they are implemented differently and many consumers will be confused. Windows RT, which uses almost entirely Metro apps (except for those bundled by Microsoft) and Windows 8, which offers Metro and legacy apps, will be especially frustrating for many users and also for enterprises.
My guess is Windows Phone 8 will be an easy sell to any enterprise upgrading to Windows Server 2012. They may not replace older phones that are still good, but they could slowly choose Windows Phone 8 for new purchases.
For some strange reason, regardless of device or machine I use, I ALWAYS seem to encounter bugs and issues that cannot be reproduced by anyone but me.. ;-/
but the text box stayed minimized and at times when using Internet Explorer, the home page doesn't render as beautiful.
and the lost text issue, I think it's time that a fix for that be rolled out by either Windows or 3rd party. including notepad having a restore feature.
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As Mitch Wagner discussed today, Yahoo is acquiring Tumblr. The big Internet debate at the moment is whether Tumblr will be good or bad for Yahoo. Regardless of their stances on the future of Yahoo itself, many claim that Yahoo will somehow ruin Tumblr.
Has China stolen a march on the West, developing an Internet architecture that is not only based on IPv6, but is also inherently secure from both internal and external attack?
Recently, the Obama administration has been of two minds where privacy rights are concerned. On one hand, you have an administration that vowed to veto CISPA and mandated open data for government websites. On the other hand, you have an increasingly out-of-control Department of Justice on a fishing expedition at AP and demanding legislation to let the FBI wiretap private, encrypted communications and levy fines if a company fails to comply.
The apartment and house sharing service, Airbnb, now requires members to verify their identities by demonstrating a presence on the web, and by either scanning a government ID or entering detailed personal details. Other enterprises should take a close look at Airbnb's verification policies.
New York's Metropolitan Transit Authority is conducting a pilot test of digital kiosks to guide subway users to where they want to go more efficiently and at lower cost.
The whole Amazon.reader debate is a double-stupid. It's stupid to think that there's any e-book buyer who doesn't know Amazon's URL, and it was stupider to let ICANN launch the whole free-form TLD initiative to start with.
While NFC's original goal was to enhance mobile commerce applications, it is finding its way into a number of other uses, which is creating both opportunity as well as challenges for IT departments.
Enterprises would like to move to cloud computing but are hesitant because they are concerned about providers’ ability to secure company data. Here are some tips that help to ensure that if breaches occur, the business is not left holding the bag.
Edmunds separates customers into segments based on the info it collects on its site and from partners, and uses that to push out custom content, said Brian Baron, director of business analytics for Edmunds.com, at Predictive Analytics Innovation Summit.
The automotive website uses propensity modeling to target ads and customer registration forms, said Brian Baron, director of business analytics for Edmunds.com, at Predictive Analytics Innovation Summit.
Subsidized handsets, rather than locked handsets, should be the focus of regulators. We're not getting good deals, not fostering innovation, and weakening our power as buyers.
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