Archive for April, 2011

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Dell bets that Android Tablets will outpace iPads

April 26th, 2011
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Computer maker Dell is hedging its bet on the mobility space with tablets and smartphones as venues for growth into the future. An optimistic Michael Dell had sat down with the Wall Street Journal to reveal his insights and thoughts about the changing and evolving PC market into what rival Apple has called the post-PC era with the introduction of the iPad as the first successful consumer slate on the market. Michael Dell says that in the future, just like with the smartphone market, Android will overtake the iPad in the tablet market, but is that a realistic expectation or an over-optimistic prediction that makes Dell look like it is banking on wishful thinking?

Of the Android tablet market, Mr. Dell says when asked about the growth of Android in relations to iOS, “Not tomorrow. Not the next day. But again, if you look at 18 months ago, Android phones were like, “What is that?” And now there are more Android phones than iPhones. I don’t see any reason why the same won’t occur with Android tablets.”

However, given that Apple completely controls the iOS market–it doesn’t license the software OS to other hardware makers–and that the Android tab market is shared by a number of OEMs, including Motorola, HTC, LG, Asus, Acer, Lenovo, and others, the market share of any one Android slate manufacturer controlling the market is relatively small. There is large room for growth for both iOS and Android, but I don’t think you can compare the total Android market share with the total iOS market share. If you want to look at Motorola’s Android market share, for example, in the smartphone space, you’ll have to calculate the total number of phones sold just by Motorola and cannot use the total Android market share. While it is true that Android has surpassed iOS in terms of market share, no one Android OEM has managed to displace Apple in terms of market share, and the same may be true with the tablet market for some time into the future unless Google can work to convince developers and partners to create compelling experiences.

Right now, with Android 3.0 Honeycomb, the UI and UX are definitely novel, but Google still has yet to convince consumers that the overall experience is better than the iOS iPad experience. With Android, you see more marketing based on specs–dual-core CPUs, front- and rear-facing cameras, and various other features. With iOS, you see a more integrative experiences that leverages the hardware together with third-party apps, simplicity and ease of use, and a slim, minimalist device that accepts its limitations (in terms of playing Adobe Flash content) but challenges the imaginations with what it can do.

With mobility, however, we’re seeing PC-makers looking towards new devices and categories with a more open mind as they look for growth. The PC industry is already mature and smartphones and tablets represent a new area for growth. Best part, according to Michael Dell, is that users are not looking at these devices as substitutes or alternatives for each other, but rather as part of a larger ecosystem:

What’s interesting [is that] business users are not going to give up smartphones. Won’t give up PCs. So now you have a PC, you have a smartphone and you have a tablet. Sounds pretty good. Industry growth.

For Dell and other Android licensees in this post-PC era, the competition isn’t about building the best specs for a tablet or phone, but creating a super personal, ultra connected device that is reliable, simple, and smart. For now, as great as Android 3.0 Honeycomb is and as novel and useful as the OS can be, Android still feels a bit cold, a little rough, and not quite personal. The experience is more akin to holding a computer motherboard rather than holding the personal and beloved design of an engineer, crafted with precision and passion.

Other than tablets and smartphones, Dell is also looking to cloud-based solutions to differentiate its business and deliver value.

If anything changed it was understanding what Dell’s actually doing. Look at all the companies Dell has acquired in the last four years. They’re all focused in the new areas I’ve been talking about: storage, services, data center, security, virtualization, networking, software, enterprise.

Source:http://www.gottabemobile.com/2011/04/25/dell-bets-that-android-tablets-will-outpace-ipads/

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Beyond The Computer Screen…

April 26th, 2011
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Informational technology refers to the study, design, development, implementation, support or management of computer-based information systems, particularly software applications and computer hardware.

There are many advantages for students who are interested in informational technology. Not only does information technology bring the world closer together, but it allows important information to be shared faster and more efficient than ever before.

When studying informational technology at Kean University, students can participate in a wide range of research, industry internships, study groups, capstone courses, and much more. Once students graduate with a degree in information technology, they join employers like Verizon, Google, Dow Jones, FedEx and other popular brands.

Teshay Gibbons, a senior majoring in information technology, wants to use her degree to become a database administrator and is interested in the website design field. “Making time to do work can be really difficult,” Gibbons said, “but all of the hard work pays off because I’m doing something that I like.”

If a student would like to major in informational technology, yet has another major they are passionate about, they should consider a double major or pursue a minor in another field. This could be very rewarding, especially for students who have a broad range of passions and interests.
Christian Bermeo, a junior also majoring in informational technology, is interested in learning more about the technology business in hopes of owning a business or corporation in the future. He advises any students who are interested in majoring in informational technology “to explore all areas of informational technology and to keep their minds open to experience as much as possible.”

“Students who major in information technology have a lot more opportunities,” Gibbons said. “Not only do they have better advantages in the job field, but we learn a variety of things in college that could help us in the future.”

In order for students to major in informational technology, they must have a cumulative GPA of 2.5 at the time of the admission and at least have 6 credits of TECH courses with a “C” grade or better.

To Bermeo, an internship may be beneficial to aspiring information technology majors. Speaking of his experience interning at Novartis, he states, “Being an intern for Novartis has been an amazing experience. I learned a lot and I’m still learning there. Novartis taught me how a big corporation operates in the real world, not only aided me with my work ethics but also to grow as person. I would advise everyone to try an internship because it will open your eyes to a whole new world, and maybe to your future.”

Source:http://media.www.cougarsbyte.com/media/storage/paper738/news/2011/04/26/CampusNews/Beyond.The.Computer.Screen-3995583.shtml

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Will we begin to see more tablets coming with hardware keyboards?

April 26th, 2011
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Though they may be the hot ticket item of the year, tablets are still a new product that is far from being a proven technology. They aim to reduce the need to carry a laptop everywhere and many like myself find the portable quasi-computers a perfect supplement to our very capable smartphones. Those who rest on the other side of the fence find tablets to be an unnecessary waste of a half a grand or better. But what if a tablet could replace your PC?

The thought of these “blown-up smartphones” replacing our home computers is a far-fetched one, but it isn’t out of the realm of possibility. Their functionality and capabilities grow with each update and with every generation. Portability and strong, rapidly advancing application support are only two of the many reasons tablets have a leg up on those archaic machines we call PCs.

Tablets have already taken a bite out of computer sales. They now come in a multitude of sizes, in different forms, and with several choices in specifications and price range. Before long, there will be a size, color, and price that will suit the needs of anyone and everyone. That said, tablets are still in their infancy. They lack some key ingredients that keep the tablet and computer world from colliding head-on. Peripherals.

From the time computers were made comercially available, they have had a set of common peripherals that are necessary when using them: a keyboard, mouse or touchpad, etc. Tablets come armed with touchscreens, which removes the need for a physical keyboard or any alternative form of input for navigation. But software keyboards and capacitive touchscreens have their limitations; they aren’t going to cut it if manufacturers want them to replace the common, household computer.

The whole tablet trend is new and manufacturers are taking the “throw it at the wall and see what sticks” approach. Most have been falling on to the same path, making products that carry identical specifications and look strikingly similar. But one manufacturer has taken a different approach. ASUS has a series of tablets heading to market equipped with keyboards or offered with a keyboard companion.

Starting tomorrow, ASUS will be breaking into the US tablet market. The Eee Pad Transformer will be released at several major retailers nationwide. It will be available at a surprisingly low price ($400-500) and will be offered with a hardware keyboard dock for an additional $150. Some of you may be thinking that $150 is ridiculous for a keyboard attachment, but throw in the fact that it has two USB ports, an SD card reader, a touchpad, and can extend the battery life of the tablet to nearly double (claiming 16 hours of use), you may just reconsider.

I understand that not everyone will be a fan of the keyboard attachments that we’re seeing more and more of, just like the large amount of people who don’t care to give tablets a chance. At first, I didn’t quite see the point of a hardware keyboard either; I thought they defeated the purpose of having a tablet.
After spending just a couple hours with the ZAGGmate for my iPad, I had a change of heart. The keyboard alone made me use the iPad over my XOOM and stick with the original iPad over the second generation. In fact, I now write a majority of my articles on the iPad using my ZAGGmate.

Seeing that most of these keyboards are only options, I imagine several manufacturers will jump on this bandwagon as well. But I also believe some will take the ASUS approach under consideration and they may just equip some tablets with silde-out keyboards or some other form factors.

What do you think? Will manufacturers start offering tablets with removable, physical keyboards, or will they stick to the slab form factor and keep it simple? Would you be more prone to buy a tablet if it came with a removable keyboard over one without?

Source:http://www.phonedog.com/2011/04/25/will-we-begin-to-see-more-tablets-coming-with-hardware-keyboards/

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Eurocom seeking to upgrade IT portfolio and recycle donated systems

April 26th, 2011
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IT systems vendor Eurocom is looking to build on its enterprise hardware trade-in platform by offering businesses new system options and combined with legacy hardware donation services.

The company said that the Corporate Trade in Program would allow enterprises to retire existing hardware and receive Eurocom PCs and server systems at a 20 per cent discounted price.

Eurocom is hoping that the programme will help to lure in customers who are currently looking to replace legacy IT hardware with newer systems.

Eurocom president Mark Bialic told V3.co.uk that while obviously outdated technologies such as CRT monitors will not be redistributed, enterprise hardware that could still be of use for educational platforms will be refurbished and handed over to non-profits.

“The whole idea is to provide to these technologies that are outdated in hardware, but up to date in key technologies,” said Bialic.

“The objective is to make companies more responsible for reuse of the technology and involve local communities instead of recycling the traditional way.”

In addition to seeking to grow its enterprise IT user base, Eurocom is also pitching the platform as a way to help non-profit organisations.
Rather than dispose of or recycle hardware collected from trade-ins, the company will look to re-distribute the hardware to groups such as educational institutions, training centres and non-profit groups.

“The Corporate Trade in Program allows companies to upgrade their aging desktop centered hardware to newer, portable and efficient computer technology without a major impact on their IT budget,” suggested corporate sales manager Matthew Thompson.

Source:http://www.v3.co.uk/v3-uk/news/2045730/eurocom-seeking-upgrade-portfolio-recycle-donated-systems

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Fujitsu launches support services for cloud environments

April 25th, 2011
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Fujitsu has launched six support services in Japan for building and operating cloud environments, which employ open source software (OSS).

The new services are aimed at corporations and organisations that are building and operating private cloud environments with OSS, and cloud services providers that deploy public cloud services using OSS.

The new OSS cloud is build by using templates that have been pre-verified to work with both Fujitsu hardware and OSS.

In addition, Fujitsu will be extending the use of the same templates to its On-Demand Virtual System Service, OSS cloud environments can also be built on Fujitsu’s On-Demand Virtual System Service public cloud. This will enable customers to use it as back-up for their own systems in times of emergency, or to supplement their own systems during periods of peak demand, said the company.

The new support services offer OSS cloud platforms and 18 different OSS cloud templates, in which the OSS has been pre-verified to work with hardware, including Fujitsu PRIMERGY PC servers and ETERNUS storage systems.

Three services: OSS cloud platform building service; OSS cloud template building service; and OSS cloud system building service – use components to build OSS cloud environments.

However, the remaining three services are designed to provide operational support after the cloud deployment: SupportDesk OSS cloud platform operational support service; SupportDesk OSS cloud template operational support services; and SupportDesk OSS cloud system operational support services, the company said.

Fujitsu said that the new services features include: use of pre-verified OSS cloud platforms and templates enable OSS cloud environments to be built quickly; rich templates catering to PaaS and SaaS; and interoperability with Fujitsu On-Demand Virtual System Service.

Source:http://appdev.cbronline.com/news/fujitsu-launches-support-services-for-cloud-environments-250411

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Arbuckle kids create mural for community

April 25th, 2011
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To herald in the spring season, staff at Arbuckle’s ACE Hardware recently invited the four kindergarten classes of Arbuckle Elementary to help create a flower mural which will hang in the nursery as public art for the community to enjoy.
“Any artwork done by a child is uplifting,” said ACE’s nursery manager, Joni Geyer. “We’re hoping the kids will come back and be proud of their artwork for years to come. The bright colors make the nursery an even happier place.”

With the help of ACE staff and volunteers Janet Grimmer and Debbie Perdue about 96 kindergartners created “finger flowers,” including daffodils, lupine’s, poppy’s and tulips, in vibrant colors on the eight foot by four foot wooden permanent mural.

“I just love letting kids express themselves through art,” said volunteer Janet Grimmer, who is also an Art Docent volunteer for the fifth and sixth grades at Grand Island Elementary in Grimes. “I think a lot of that has been taken out of schools – whether it’s music, theatre or fine arts – and I think it’s important to introduce it to (the students) at every opportunity.”

During the same visit, each child also planted pinwheel zinnias to care for, watch bloom and then give away as Mother’s Day gifts. The class had recently finished a unit on seeds, planting and germination.

“This is perfect timing,” said kindergarten teacher Jodi Arens. “What a fun, fun thing. They’re into plants right now. This is perfect timing.”

ACE staff and volunteers Katrina

Struckmeyer of Arbuckle and Bev Thayer of Grimes assisted the children in planting the flower seeds in recycled yogurt cups, using recycled plastic spoons as a shovel.
Wholesale vendor Blooms donated six flats of perennials, enough for the 96 kids to walk back to school with an actual flower while their pinwheel zinnia’s germinated over spring break.

“What’s more exciting for a kindergartner than to watch their seed to come through the soil and become a flower?” Geyer said.

ACE manager Maggie Ruiz invites the community to visit the nursery and check out the new permanent mural created by the students.

ACE Hardware is located at 600 5th St., Arbuckle.

Source:http://www.dailydemocrat.com/news/ci_17922651

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High-End P67 Express: Five $200-250 Motherboards

April 25th, 2011
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The prices we expect to pay for PCs don’t change much. An entry-level machine is around $500, and has hovered around there for a while. A potent gaming system is completely doable for $1000, and that’s a largely static figure, too. But our expectations of what you should get out of PCs at either of those price points is higher than ever.

An ever-increasing number of next-gen interfaces and add-on controllers continue pushing so-called mainstream motherboards well into what most enthusiasts used to consider high-end territory, shoving the cost of a real high-end board beyond $200, even for models that employ what the industry collectively considers mainstream chipsets, like Intel’s P67 Express.

Today’s $200 P67-based motherboards are anything but extreme, even lacking Nvidia’s NF200 controller, which enhances SLI and CrossFire graphics support. For that, one must go farther into the $250+ market (check out GeForce And Radeon On Intel’s P67: PCIe Scaling Explored for more on what NF200 can do for graphics performance).

Yet, these same boards do have a few so-called extreme features, such as improved voltage regulators for increased overclocking capability. All of them also support three graphics cards (though in the least-favorable x8/x8/x4 PCIe configuration we can think of), dual gigabit Ethernet ports, and additional USB 3.0 or SATA 6Gb/s ports compared to mainstream versions.

Source:http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/asrock-p67-extreme6-asus-p8p67-deluxe-msi-p67a-gd80,2924.html#xtor=RSS-182

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