Tech Buzz

Yahoo's Too Uncool for Some Tumblr Bloggers
May 20, 2013

Yahoo confirmed on Monday that it was acquiring Tumblr for US$1.1 billion -- perhaps further propelling the flight of Tumblr bloggers that began when rumors of the sale intensified last week. While the deal has implications on many levels and for many players, at least one group appears to have weighed the transaction and come to a conclusion about its merits.

Will BlackBerry, Nokia or Amazon Replace Apple or Google?
May 20, 2013

Apple and Google are currently at the top of the mobile device heap, but both companies are vulnerable at the moment. Apple has lost its iconic CEO and appears to be chasing Samsung, and you can't lead by following. Samsung is the dominant player on Android, but Google and Samsung are having relationship problems at the moment. Both have been quietly expressing dissatisfaction with the other.

Joe Tucci's Magic Turnaround Formula
May 13, 2013

I've been focused on and off on turnarounds since I covered IBM's from the inside out in the 1990s, so I don't know how I missed this, but EMC²'s turnaround was clearly a success, and its unique resulting organizational structure is incredibly subtle. The company is actually far more similar in breadth to HP than most folks realize, largely because they mix up EMC and EMC².

B&N Investors Salivate Over Microsoft Nook Deal
May 10, 2013

Barnes & Noble investors reacted with pure unadulterated joy to the possibility that Microsoft is considering entering the e-book market and will acquire the company's Nook unit for a whopping $1 billion. Shares rose by a dizzying 24 percent on Thursday, when the rumor surfaced. By the close of Friday trading, shares were up another 5.6 percent, at $23.31.

Amazon's 3D Phone Could Simply Be a Wonder to Behold
May 10, 2013

Amazon is rumored to be developing two high-end smartphones, as well as an audio-streaming device, broadening its range of branded hardware products well beyond its current Kindle e-readers and Kindle Fire tablets and its expected -- though as yet unconfirmed -- TV set-top box. The big surprise in the latest rumor is that one of the smartphones might actually support 3D video.

How HP Could Become the Next Apple
May 06, 2013

I was given a task the other day, and this happens every once in a while, to imagine a sequence of events that would turn HP from an industry problem to an industry leader in Apple's class. Apple went from being in far worse shape than HP's in now to become more valuable at its peak than even oil companies, so this isn't an impossible goal.

What Happens When Android Fails?
April 29, 2013

I've just finished doing yet another news program on the increasing risks of using an Android phone, and the discussions have started to drift to the potential for class-action lawsuits, commercial plane crashes, and cyberdisasters that would make 9/11 seem trivial -- all connected to this platform.

Amazon Box Could Be Another Ecosystem Building Block
April 25, 2013

The world's largest online retailer, Amazon, may soon challenge Apple, Google, Roku and other set-top box makers with a delivery device of its own. While cable and satellite set-top boxes remain among the most popular content delivery hubs in the living room, they have been challenged by other hardware, including game consoles from Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony, which can stream a variety of content.

Cook Replacement Rumors Smolder
April 22, 2013

Steve Jobs left big shoes to fill, and rumors circulated this week that Apple CEO Tim Cook may not be living up to expectations. This comes as Apple's stock closed at a 52-week low last Friday. Adding to the company's misery, Apple reportedly has earned the nickname "Poison Apple" with some Asian suppliers who are finding its high standards and low price expectations somewhat hard to meet.

Schmidt on Google's UK Taxes: This Is How It's Done
April 22, 2013

Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt defended the company's tax practices in the United Kingdom, where Google and a handful of other U.S. tech companies have been chastised for not paying enough taxes. Google paid just over $9 million in UK taxes in 2011, despite hundreds of millions in turnover. The company was able to pull this off by operating out of Ireland, which has a much lower tax rate.

Magellan SmartGPS Does the Cloud Right
April 22, 2013

With smartphones and an increasing number of tablets becoming GPS-capable, it is easy to write off dedicated GPS players. So many seem stuck in the past -- days when devices needed a wired connection for updates and didn't seem to be aware of Web services they might be ideal for, like Yelp. I think it is time to revisit the dedicated GPS player, and I'll use the Magellan SmartGPS as an example of the current best of class.

Verizon May Have Finagled a Less Taxing Way to Buy Out Vodafone
April 19, 2013

Verizon Communications, which posted a higher-than-expected quarterly profit on the performance of its wireless business, has increased the pressure on Vodafone Group to sell its 45 percent stake in Verizon Wireless. The sale would give Verizon Communications full control of the largest mobile carrier in the United States. "There has been a lot of speculation about the tax consequences of a purchase of this 45 percent," noted Verizon CFO Francis Shammo.

Samsung Under the Gun for Alleged Anti-HTC Rumormongering
April 17, 2013

Taiwan authorities have launched a probe into charges that Samsung hired students to post disparaging comments about HTC online. If the false advertising accusations are upheld, Samsung and its local advertising agent could be on the hook for about $835,000. The complaints sprouted earlier this month when Internet users claimed that Samsung had contracted students to write online content attacking HTC and lauding Samsung.

The Smartwatch's Time May Be Nigh
April 15, 2013

There's a smartwatch-athon in the making. Apple is working on one, according to rumors that seemed to gel earlier this year. Samsung has taken the lid off its plans, though no specifics have been announced, and LG is rumored to be building one too. Kickstarter phenom Pebble began shipping its smartwatch several weeks ago, and on Monday rumors began circulating that Microsoft was also looking to produce a wearable timepiece.

The Rebirth of PCs, or Telling IT to Frack Off Again
April 15, 2013

I've been watching the horrid numbers surrounding the PC market with double digit declines and folks increasingly talking about the "death of the PC," but I don't think the PC is dying any more than computing was dying when the PC was created. What we are seeing is a rapid evolution of the platform -- a shift to where the calculations are made back to a centralized resource, but the end result is at least as personal as we have always had.

Next Xbox May Mark the Spot for Home Entertainment
April 11, 2013

All may be revealed on May 21, when Microsoft officially unveils its next-generation video game console and follow-up to its popular Xbox 360. In the meantime, the rumor mill is churning. Xbox executive Adam Orth reportedly departed Microsoft this week after engaging in a controversial Twitter exchange related to the console's rumored "always on" requirement.

Apple's iRadio Could Blast Competitors Off the Air
April 08, 2013

Apple may be moving closer to launching a streaming music offering, or "iRadio," as it's known in the rumor mill. The company is reportedly on the verge of striking a deal with two major music labels and has introduced a new sweetener to the negotiations to address a sticking point: the per-stream rate Apple would pay the labels. It's been bandied about that Apple wants to pay just half of what rival service Pandora is paying.

France Implicated in Wikipedia Censorship Threat
April 08, 2013

Intelligence agents for the Direction Central du Renseignement Intérieur -- France's top intelligence agency -- were accused of censorship after threatening to arrest and charge a Wikipedia volunteer. The hubbub originated with an article that contains classified military secrets, according to operatives, and ergo is a threat to national security.

The Next Big Thing in Smartphones: Multiple Video Camera Support
April 08, 2013

I've been meeting with a number of companies that build video-editing software, and I've been becoming increasingly concerned that we aren't at all ready for a world in which nearly every car and every head has a streaming camera attached to it. Regardless of whether we are prepared or not, I think it likely that the next big smartphone feature will be the ability to stream multiple cameras at once.

Anonymous Taunts North Korea
April 04, 2013

The hactivist group Anonymous has taken on North Korea, hacking into the country's official Twitter and Flickr accounts on Wednesday. It reportedly sent out tweets ridiculing the country's leader, Kim Jong-un, and used its Flickr account to portray him in an unflattering light, to put it mildly. It appears that North Korea has regained control of its social media channels since the hack.