I'm a guy, and as a guy, sex gets my attention. But the kind of sexually oriented spam I’ve been getting lately is way over the line. Because my mail client, Thunderbird, catches spam but lets me see it before deleting it, I know what’s coming into my email box. In the last few weeks, I’ve noticed that I’m getting 10 or more emails every day with subject lines that either promise a link to a site full of X-rated photos, or offer to help guys who don’t have confidence in their sexual abilities. I won't be more explicit, but you know what I mean. And of course, I never click on the links the messages contain. Nor do I make a practice of visiting ... Continue reading →
Computerworld - Reports earlier this week that Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer predicted unprecedented sales of Windows 8 were wrong on multiple counts, Microsoft and independent analysts agreed. But while Microsoft said Ballmer was misquoted or misunderstood, the analysts argued that even if the CEO's number of 500 million had been accurate, it meant little about the upgrade's success. The kerfuffle started when the Agence France-Presse (AFP) wire service, reporting from a South Korean technology event, said Ballmer claimed up to 500 million users would "have" Windows 8 "next year." A slew of blogs and news websites piled on, most of them questioning Ballmer's number, or even his sanity. It wasn't hard to see why: Windows 7, which Microsoft has repeatedly said has been the fastest-selling ... Continue reading →
Toward the end of last year, I wrote a blog post arguing that Microsoft was too big to fail, that consistent revenue growth and a tight grip on the enterprise with Office and Windows 7 and Windows Server licenses will see Microsoft through mobile fiascos and the departures of various executives. I still stand by the notion that Microsoft can weather the post-PC world storm. But lately some kinks have been showing in the armor. The problem is that heavy cash cows like Office and Windows -- which in Microsoft's defense are changing with the cloudy times with Office 365 and the upcoming Windows 8 – have kept the company embedded in a PC world, and we all know the world is shifting toward mobile: ... Continue reading →
With hype over Facebook’s IPO sparkling and fading, senior executives say Big Data is a greater priority than social software for their businesses, according to a new study from McKinsey & Company. Roughly 49% of those surveyed said they are currently using Big Data to understand their customers better, while a combined 32% said they are currently using social media to interact with customers or promote their brands. To collect its data, McKinsey surveyed 1,500 CEOs, CFOs and CIOs between April 3 and April 12. Report authors Johnson Sikes, a McKinsey technology strategy consultant, and McKinsey director Brad Brown, asked respondents about their companies adoption of expectations for Big Data and analytics, social media and digital marketing technologies. Sikes said that Big Data and social ... Continue reading →
By John Letzingand Amir Efrati Yahoo Inc. has a few things going on lately: A new CEO is in place after a scandal felled his predecessor, the company’s share of the display ad market has been shrinking, and gaining ground on Google Inc. in search is still proving elusive. Despite it all, Yahoo has had the time and energy to develop its own Internet browser, which it’s dubbed “Axis.” The new Yahoo browser was unveiled Wednesday, and Yahoo is touting it as a way to instantly peek into different websites on a mobile device or computer without having to leave a primary search bar. Axis works on Apple Inc.’s iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch devices, and can be downloaded from Apple’s App Store. On a ... Continue reading →
Whether you’re a nosy neighbor, a real-estate agent, a potential homebuyer or seller, or all of the above, you’re going to want HomeSnap on your iPhone. Just don’t expect it to always be a snap. HomeSnap is a free iOS app optimized for iPhone/iPod touch screens (current version is 1.10). To use the app you simply take a photo of a house with your iPhone camera. HomeSnap then serves up vitals on the property, such as its asking price if it’s for sale or how much it’s worth or recent sale price if it’s off the market. You get other details, too, such as number of bedrooms and bathrooms; one or more photos; and listings of nearby schools and similar properties. If a home you ... Continue reading →
You all know the infamous Nigerian prince. He’s the guy who has a few million dollars he needs to smuggle out of his country and would love to share it with you. Well, I just met his wife. It happened this way: I recently got a great deal on a baby grand piano, something I’ve always wanted. To make room and help pay for it, I put my spinet (known in the trade as a little brown piano) up for sale, advertising it on Craigslist. The next day, I got a note from one Sandra Jones, saying she was interested and hoped it would be available in the next 72 hours. I said it was, and invited her to come by and take a test ... Continue reading →
Android handset makers aren't making it easy to get Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich for your smartphone. But I'm here to help. Here's the simplest way to get ice cream sandwich on your Android device: Step 1: Buy ice cream sandwich—I prefer Hershey's brand, but any ol' cream sandwich will do. Step 2: Remove ice cream sandwich from packaging. Step 3: Place ice cream sandwich on your mobile phone in the sun, read a few Mobile WorkHorse articles and return 20 minutes later. Voila. Your Android is all ice cream sandwich'd out. (Note: You're on your own in trying to get ice cream sandwich off of your Android phone. And if you're moronic enough to actually try this, you're also responsible for ruining your mobile ... Continue reading →
That’s bad news for investors who thought their luck was in when they were allocated some Facebook stock. It’s also worrying news for I.P.O.s and the capital markets in general. In fact, a strong argument can be made that Facebook’s shaky start as a public company demonstrates that the entire I.P.O. process, which is supposed to spread the rewards to innovation, is broken. By the time Facebook’s stock started trading on the public market, insiders—the company’s founders, employees, and venture-capitalist backers—had bagged most, if not all, of the company’s value for themselves. That’s fair enough, you may say. Mark Zuckerberg and some Harvard pals created the company. It was Facebook’s professional managers, such as Sheryl Sandberg, the chief operating officer, and David Ebersman, the chief ... Continue reading →
CIO — Think mobile app, and what do you see? Executives tapping native apps bursting with functionality on iPhones and Android smartphones. Field salespeople showing off beautifully rendered iPad PowerPoint or Pages slides to impressed customers. Pretty heady stuff for some companies. But other companies just don't have the resources to launch mobile BYOD this way. For them, there isn't enough money to hire mobile app development teams for all the different platforms. Mobile device management, enterprise app stores, and mobile security specialists consume resources, too. There's the long and expensive mobile app development lifecycle, which can stretch for months. American National Insurance Company (ANICO) of Galveston, Texas, was one of those companies that needed to find a cheaper way. With some 50,000 independent agents ... Continue reading →
