May 10, 2007
The lines are blurring with hardware and software
Mossblog
Wall Street Journal staff writer Walt Mossberg is one of the most respected people covering the high tech sector.
“Over the years, it has been smart business strategy in the computer and consumer electronics industries to specialize in either hardware or software. But that’s changing. Microsoft created one of the greatest business successes in history by fiercely sticking to software, dabbling only in minor hardware products, such as mice and keyboards, which were designed to propel its core software business. I have even been told by very senior Microsoft officials, in private, that hardware was a sucker’s business, a combination of low margins and big headaches. Sony was perhaps the opposite case, turning out world-class, head-turning hardware, but paying little or no attention to software–and no, I don’t count “Spider-Man 3,” by the company’s Hollywood studio, as software, at least not in this context. The only company that seemed to combine both skills was Apple, but it was widely regarded as a niche player that was slowly fading from the scene, partly because it didn’t fit very well into either world. By the late 1990s, it seemed clear that Apple couldn’t build hardware it could sell in large enough quantities, or license its operating system widely enough, to thrive, or even survive.”
Daily Tech
Brandon Hill takes the new Centrino chips for a spin.
“Another new feature included with Santa Rosa is Intel Turbo Memory (formerly known as Robson). We first saw Intel Turbo Memory in operation at last year’s Computex, but today the technology is actually ready for prime time. As previously detailed on DailyTech, notebook manufacturers will be able to install 512MB or 1GB of dedicated NAND memory in systems to improve application load times, reduce Windows Vista boot times and increase battery life due to less reliance on the physical HDD.”
Central control of social networks
Tech Crunch
Duncan Riley looks at a simple concept of a centralized control point for social networks.
“Fidg’t mobile is also a fully fledged online Instant Messaging platform that provides similar functionality to Trillian and Meebo with support for AOL Instant Messenger, Yahoo Messenger, and MSN/ Windows Live Messenger. Media handling on the mobile version includes the ability to post directly to Flickr or stream content from Last.fm.”