Nokia Going for Laptops?

Nokia Going for Laptops?

Author JoeDigital | 05.03.2009 | Category Technology Viewpoint, Telecommunications

Today, Nokia remains as one of the top manufacturers of mobile phones in the world market, specifically because it is known for its economical cell phone models – making it a cheaper and viable alternative for consumers worldwide.

But recently Nokia has expressed its intent to join the laptop manufacturing industry. Perhaps, with companies like Apple spreading itself with a variety of products from laptops to mobile phones, Nokia has thought it would be best to maintain its presence in the mobile industry by expanding as well.

But the question as to what exactly will the niches of these products are in the market is left unanswered. Will these laptops be pegged as inexpensive and practical alternatives to their more luxurious competitors? Will they be more portable, easy to use or universal in some way? Or will they be more exclusive and elite like their competition’s products are? We’ll just have to wait and see.

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Amazon’s got Wii Promos

Author JoeDigital | 24.02.2009 | Category Consumer Electronics, Technology Viewpoint, Video Games

 

Here’s an interesting offer from Amazon on the Nintendo Wii: buying a console at $249.99 within the month will get you a 10% discount for every single subsequent Wii bundle. So when you buy an official Nintendo Wii Nunchuk, Wii Wheel, Remote Controller, and every single Wii game that Amazon has, you get a discount for every product.

Perhaps this is one way for Nintendo to clear out all its Wii gadgets and consoles to make room for the DSi portable video game system which the video game company announced just recently to be out in the market by April.

But for whatever reason, this promo is a really good deal for all the Wii fans out there. This is the chance for those who haven’t yet to get an entire set at such a cheap price or for those who want an extra add-on that they already have or two get a few more. Have fun!

Technorati Tags: amazon, wii, nintendo

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Considering The Google Gdrive

Author JoeDigital | 20.02.2009 | Category Computers, Innovation, Networking, Technology Viewpoint

If you stepped off the bus earlier this afternoon, and walked directly into a high tech corporate office, you’d be presented with such exciting terms as “cloud computing”, “wi-fi”, and “remote access.” Someone might even have mentioned the still vaporware Google Gdrive.

Gdrive is hyped as unlimited, unhampered data storage. It can be used to store all of your files, including images, video, and music, and can be accessed from any computer, anywhere, anytime. Wow. That is quite an attractive boast, considering that only new part of the concept is the addition of making it perfect for “cloud computing” applications. Online storage has been around for more than 10 years, long before the mobile computing boom we are seeing today was even dreamed of.

And let us take a moment and consider this new phrase “cloud computing.” I distinctly recall, in 1996, watching the innermost working of a network reduced to a set of hubs and spokes on a whiteboard. And then other networks, also in the shape of spoked wheels, were drawn. And then a big fluffy cloud was sketched in around the whole thing, and the word INTERNET was boldy written underneath.

The Internet is the cloud of cloud computing. The first cloud computing tools put into widespread use were web browsers, and by the year 2000, countless applications from file storage to online calculators and utilities were being used by people all over the world. This was cloud computing, and it hasn’t changed in many ways, even today. It has become better able to process data for you, reducing CPU intensive applications, or completely eliminating the need to install a program on your computer, because it can be opearted just as efficiently, and across a greater number of computer platforms, by keeping the program based on an Internet server.

The Google Gdrive is likely to be a fantastic addition to Google’s suite of productivity applications based in the cloud, but it is simply an old idea being presented in a new way. It is far less impressive than the productivity suite of Google Docs, but is likely to receive great acclaim becuase it is managed by the increasingly powerful folks at Google.

Technorati Tags: google, gdrive, cloud computing

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Verizon’s $5 Landline Offer

Author JoeDigital | 19.02.2009 | Category Technology Viewpoint, Telecommunications

Interested in getting a landline service that will only cost you $5 a month? How about a phone service that will only cost $10 a month? Well, Verizon is actually coming up with the idea as we speak. The folks over there say that since cell phones have been coming around, people don’t really mind the telephone anymore, so they thought of a way to keep these things from gathering dust.

The only hitch with this $5 monthly plan is that they take out a very important element in using landline phones – outgoing calls. Yes, the $5 plan only lets you dial 911 or Verizon customer service. Then again, you can also consider the $10 monthly plan which only allows local outgoing calls.

Of course, even Verizon admits that they’re still looking into the idea, so the deals are very much open to scrutiny. But you know, landlines do come in handy in case of emergencies, because they are less likely to conk out like cell phones would when you need them the most.

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ASUS to Reduce Eee Netbook Selection

Author JoeDigital | 12.02.2009 | Category Computers, Technology Viewpoint

In an effort that is hoped will reduce consumer confusion, Asustek Computer (Asus) plans to offer fewer versions of its Eee PC netbooks this year. The company has been a pioneer in the production of netbooks, and has been busy turning out multiple models, with 20 models released last year alone. The wide range of models was intended to reduce competition in the market, but turned out to have other implications that were much less profitable.

What it all boils down to is that reducing the number of netbook models in production will reduce the production costs for the company, which has suffered economic woes recently along with most other businesses. Each model created with substantial differences will require a production line of its own, and the structuring of company resources to accomodate each one after release, in such areas as customer support.

By reducing the number of models produced, Asus hopes to gain a greater marketshare against their competitors while reducing the overhead at the production level. As the current worldwide economic concerns grow more intense, we expect to see many other technology companies doing the same thing – streamlining their production lines to provide better performance and support for popular models, and eliminating the extravagant excesses of providing too many consumer options. And reducin those options can improve marketshare, because consumer faced with too many decisions are just as likelt to go with a company that makes the choice easier for them.

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Intel Preparing For Android Netbooks

Author JoeDigital | 08.02.2009 | Category Technology Viewpoint, Telecommunications

As Google’s Android mobile operating system gains more and more attention from netbook manufacturers, even chip makers are said to be watching the results. Android has already been ported out of its native smartphone niche onto netbooks and UMPCs of various types, and recent rumors say that 2009 will see an abundance of interest, even from such industry giants as Intel.

Intel, which currently has a very small marketshare of the mobile computing market, is rumored to be eyeing Google Android as a way to claim more of the market, and embrace integration with the growing cloud computing industry.

Since the release of Google Chrome a web browser, and then followed by the search company’s Android OS, industry analysts have been buzzing about the bold moves, which seem to be aimed at direct competition with software giant Microsoft. Microsoft currently has an impressive mobile computing marketshare, with XP, Windows Mobile OS, and the new and not yet final Windows 7.

There are no corroborating rumors which specify what Intel will be doing to become more Android compatible, but speculation is that it will begin with developing drivers that are Android compaible for the current ship line-up, and see where it goes from there.

Currently, Android is the only operating system that was designed for the 3G mobile market from the outset, which makes it a popular choice for netbook manufacturers as well as a large number of cell and smart phone makers.

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Debian Founder Murdock Now Sun’s Cloud Strategist

Author JoeDigital | 07.02.2009 | Category Networking, Technology Viewpoint

The founder of Debian Linux, and former chief at OpenSolaris, Ian Murdock, is moving to a new office, but sticking to the same crowd of work associates. Murdock is moving into the role of chief strategist for cloud computing at Sun Microsystems.

“Obviously I have a deep background in Linux distributions,” he said, referencing the work he had put into the origins of Linux
since 1993. “I think this is going to be a pretty big part of Sun’s
contribution to cloud computing.”

As netbooks become more basic, and web 2.0 applications become more powerful, many innovative companies, Sun Microsystems included, foresee a convergence in cloud computing technology, where data and program information as accessed in the “cloud” of the internet.And while the cloud may be a new term to Internet users today, it is also a long-time analogy for the internet itself, which has no central location, but exists as a series of “free-floating” nodes that connect to one another.

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Nissan IT-Assisted Road Information System

Author JoeDigital | 06.02.2009 | Category Technology Viewpoint, automobile

It has long been argued that the safest vehicle would be one that didn’t require interaction with the human equation. Ideally, entering an address and allowing the car to just take you there would be the fastest and safest means of travel, relying on computer processing and emphatically obeyed traffic rules. But until we live in an ideal world, at least Nissan is going to take us a little bit closer.

So far, the computer assisted information system is still in its fledgling stage, and dreams to the car running itself are stillf ar in the future, but what this new technology can do us use comparative algorithms and GPS to provide the driver with critical information, such as impending traffic jams, driving on the wrong side of the road, the speed limit, and safe driving tips.

The Nissan IT-assisted Information System is still being fully researched and tested in Japan, but it expected to be marketed locally in the near future, and may spread out globally from there.

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Sibyl Systems to Distribute Ubuntu Exclusively

Author JoeDigital | 05.02.2009 | Category Linux, Technology Viewpoint

On Saturday, Sibyl Systems, an IT solutions provider and subcontractor in Central New York State announced that it will be taking over the exclusive distribution of the popular Ubuntu version in all future deployments. Ubuntu, based on the Debian version of Linux, is a desktop-focused, GUI version, and has caught a great deal of positive attention in recent years. Ubuntu is sponsored by Canonical Ltd., which is owned by entrepreneur Mark Shuttleworth, a South African billionaire.

“Canonical is a wonderful partner for us. This is a highly capable company with great integrity. They are dedicated, hardworking and they know their products inside and out, unlike other big name software makers,” said John J Rice, president and engineer at Sibyl Systems. “We look forward to exclusively working with them and to help them grow in the Syracuse area and north east US marketplace.”

“Linux is the future of the desktop and server, and unlike its main competitor Windows, the software is constantly updated and improved upon. There are many features that make it a superior choice, those being security, scalability, reliability, and ROI [Return On Investment] just to name a few.” stated Rice when asked why should companies consider a Linux solution opposed to a traditional Windows based solution.

It is yet unclear what effect this partnership will have on Ubuntu’s development, but early speculation indicates Sybil Systems has no interst in building Ubuntu, only getting it to market.

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Tesla Puts Model S Factory on Hold

Author JoeDigital | 03.02.2009 | Category Technology, Technology Viewpoint, automobile

The Tesla company has put a hold on plans to build a new factory in San Jose, California. The plant, which was announced last year, and had been intended for the manufacture of the Model S, has been delayed because the corporation was reportedly unable to raise the $100 million venture capital required to begin the operation.

It may also be that the company, which builds luxurious electric sports cars, is hoping to get a share of the Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing Program, and that would give them the working capital for both the planned factory and a separate powertrain facility. The Model S is a four door sedan, a less expensive counterpart to existign models, and is planned for public availability in 2011.

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