Business Center Blogs

A federal judge has ruled in Apple's favor in its lawsuit against Mac-clone maker Psystar. Prevailing in the court battle seems like it should be a good thing, but what Apple really gets out of the victory is limited market share potential. Uhm, congratulations?

Google is being sued by a Swiss watchdog agency for allegedly failing to take adequate measures to protect privacy. The legal battle in Switzerland is just the latest in a long line of privacy issues with Google and illustrates the challenge of providing as much information as possible without violating privacy concerns.

The debate in Switzerland is over Google's Street View image indexing. Hanspeter Thuer, the Swiss Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner (FDPIC) made recommendations to Google to address concerns with Street View images displaying car license plates and people's faces. Google claims it has taken strides to comply with those recommendations, but the FDPIC doesn't feel Google has done enough.

Dell unveiled the Android-based Mini 3 smartphone today and announced that it will be available soon in China and Brazil. Venturing away from the familiar server and desktop foundation that Dell is built on may seem risky, but there is a method to Dell's madness that may just pay off.

Ever since rumors began to circulate earlier this year that Dell was planning a move into smartphones there have been naysayers. The market is crowded. Competition is rough. Dell is already losing ground in its core business. If your device isn't from Apple and doesn't say 'iPhone' it can't succeed in the smartphone market.

Verizon made some minor adjustments in the latest series of 3G coverage ads, but AT&T is not impressed. AT&T has expanded its initial complaint and request for injunction to include the new ads, and has issued a statement to 'set the record straight' about the Verizon claims. Do the ads really deserve this much attention?

First of all, what does AT&T hope to accomplish? If the goal is to prevent customers and prospective customers from learning about its sparse 3G coverage, filing a lawsuit and drawing the attention of the media was not a good strategy. The net result is a bunch of free advertising for Verizon.

Google's Chrome operating system could mark a turning point in computing, but many questions remain. Today's rumor is the OS will be released to developers next week, answering some questions but probably raising even more. Google had previously promised Chrome OS, in some form, before the end of this year.

Chrome OS strikes me as being just enough Linux to allow an underpowered computer to run Chrome browser and connect to cloud-based applications. How exciting can that really be?

Google continued its acquisitions shopping spree with the announcement that it is purchasing Gizmo5. Gizmo5 adds VoIP capabilities to Google Voice, pitting Google Voice directly against Skype and providing a platform to enhance Google Wave.

Google Voice provides a diverse set of calling and communications features, but up to now it is mostly an accessory-pack that expands the functionality of the voice services you already use. Google Voice provides simultaneous ring of multiple phones, voicemail delivered to email and transcribed to text, the ability to transfer calls between separate phone systems, and more.

If you use Microsoft Office and you frequently work from different computers, you need to check out the Office Live add-in for Office Live Workspace (currently in public beta). This free online service gives you the ability to store and share up to 5GB of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint documents, and the Office Live add-in incorporates the ability to work with documents in the Office Live Workspace without leaving the comfort of your Microsoft Office app.

The benefits of working with Workspace and its Office add-in are powerful. Without changing the way you work, your documents will follow you whenever you have an Internet connected computer running Office, and if you're away from your own PC, you can still access your stuff from any other machine. Additionally, Office Live Workspace makes sharing documents across the Internet trivial.

It was a notable accomplishment when Windows 7 was not impacted in any way by the vulnerabilities addressed in the six Security Bulletins released by Microsoft for the November Patch Tuesday. It would be even more impressive if Windows 7 proved invulnerable to the zero-day exploit that hit the next day.

The fact that Intel and AMD have reached a $1.25 billion agreement and established a pact to cross-license each other's patents for the next 5 years should not come as any surprise. AMD needs the cash infusion and Intel needs...well, Intel needs AMD. Seems like a win-win.

Within the processor industry, Intel occupies the role of the dominant virtual monopoly---similar to the role Microsoft plays in the operating system, office productivity, and web browser markets. Intel is more or less the de facto standard for PC processors at 70 percent of the market, and AMD is a distant second with remaining 30 percent.

It is the statement that has re-ignited the near-religious debate about whether the Windows user interface was copied from Mac. Define 'copied'. Adopting features that work is not new to Windows 7 or unique to the Windows / Mac debate--its just the way the world works.

Microsoft partner group manager Simon Aldous was quoted saying "What we've tried to do with Windows 7 - whether it's traditional format or in a touch format - is to create a Mac look and feel in terms of graphics."