Skype announces Facebook-to-Facebook calling — from wired.co.uk by Beth Carter
On 11/18/2011,
in Microsoft, telecommunications, tools, vendors, videoconferencing, web-based collaboration,
by Daniel Christian
On 11/17/2011,
in A/V -- audio/visual, Apple, cloud-based computing / apps / other cloud-related, convergence, disruption, Google, Microsoft, mirroring and/or multiple devices, mobile technologies, tablets, television, trends,
by Daniel Christian
HTML5 program promises to be game changer — from mediapost.com by Diane Mermigas
Also see:
- Elevation Partners Director and Co-Founder Roger McNamee [Video-based presentation]
Chapters (full program: 52 min 22 sec)
01. Introduction
02. Demise of Microsoft means opportunity
03. Google in a tough spot
04. Creativity rules in HTML5
05. Apple domination in tablets
06. Access from any screen
07. The social wave is over
08. TV the last protected media
09. Economic context and seed investing
10. Why Apple supports HTML5
11. Privacy regulation
12. HTML5 implications for content protection
13. Investment in Forbes
14. Ringback tones
15. Money in the music industry
16. Subscription television
- 10 Hypotheses for Technology Investing — by Roger McNamee
- #1: “Next” web architecture = Hypernet + Hyperweb
- #2: The decline & fall of Windows unlocks revenue
- #3: Index search is peaking
- #4: Apple’s model threatens web
- #5: HTML5 is game changer for publishers
HTML5 is not just a programming language; enables new models of web experience
– Developers will embed audio and video directly in web pages, replacing Adobe’s Flash plug-in; enables much greater differentiation in sites, advertising, etc.
– Content publishers will redesign their sites to reduce power of Google, ad networks
HTML5 will be disruptive in ways we cannot imagine today: pendulum swinging to favor content creators and publishers. Imagine Amazon or eBay storefront as an ad.
– Everything can be an app . . . every piece of content . . . every tweet . . . every ad
– Ads: create demand and fulfill it at the same time . . . without leaving publisher’s page
– Other tech (e.g., Wordnik) enables publishers to protect and monetize text onsite and off- #6: Tablets are hugely disruptive
- #7: First wave of “social web” is over
- #8: Smartphones in US: Apple + 7 Dwarfs
- #9: Wireless infrastructure is a competitive threat to US
- #10: Integration of TV & Internet could be disruptive
From DSC:
- A recommendation that caught my eye:
Focus 100% on companies that are cloud + multiscreen; HTML 5 as proxy.
On 10/28/2011,
in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, A/V -- audio/visual, accessibility / UDL, Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, assistive technologies, Augmented Reality (AR), cloud-based computing / apps / other cloud-related, collaboration, communications, convergence, corporate / business world, creativity, digital audio, digital learning, digital storytelling, digital textbooks, digital video, e-books, e-readers, education technology, educational games / serious games, elearning, emerging technologies, engagement / engaging students, future, homeschooling/homeschoolers, human-computer interaction (HCI), innovation, intelligent systems, interactivity, interface design, internet, learning ecosystem, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, lifelong learning, machine-to-machine communications, Microsoft, mirroring and/or multiple devices, mobile learning, mobile technologies, multi-touch, multimedia, Near Field Communication (NFC), new media literacies, online learning, online media, personalized/customized learning, reinvent, tablets, technologies for your home, technology (general), television, tools, transmedia, trends, ubiquitous learning, user experience (UX), user interface design, videoconferencing, vision/possibilities, visualizing information, web-based collaboration,
by Daniel Christian
On 10/12/2011,
in Microsoft, presentations, productivity / tips and tricks, tools,
by Daniel Christian
Breathe new life into your PowerPoint slides with dozens of exciting free tools & resources — from EmergingEdTech.com by K. Walsh
On 09/28/2011,
in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, Apple, architecture, cloud-based computing / apps / other cloud-related, collaboration, communications, convergence, Daniel S. Christian, disruption, emerging technologies, future, Google, innovation, Microsoft, mobile technologies, multimedia, strategy, technology (general), telepresence, television, tools, transmedia, trends, usability, user experience (UX), vendors, videoconferencing, web-based collaboration,
by Daniel Christian
From DSC:
This posting evolved after having read $500 billion TV market new battlefield for Internet companies (from forbes.com and the Trefis Team therein) as well as the posting at Future TV disruption – Forbes says it’s worth half a trillion dollars for Internet companies (from appmarket.tv).
As the convergence — and the movement of data/apps/content/services towards the cloud — continues, I wanted to jot down some thoughts re: the current field:
- Apple, Google, Cisco and Microsoft seem to be solid players to watch in terms of cloud-based computing architectures, tools, and functionality — something to keep in mind when planning for the future directions of your organization’s set of tools and technologies.
- Personally, I vote for vendors that “get the web.” Apple and Google have traditionally been very solid innovators on the web and have turned in solid report cards in terms of innovation, performance, and web-based applications. (Adobe — with their Macromedia purchase years ago and their current lineup of tools — has also done a pretty good job, but doesn’t have the arsenal to make my top 4 picks here.)
- I don’t need to say much about Apple in terms of innovation — as they have out innovated every company on the planet while becoming the world’s most valuable company in terms of market cap. Apple is on the verge of adding enormously powerful, cloud-based functionality and apps to their ecosystem when they introduce iCloud this fall (and perhaps a web-connected/smart TV type of device in the future). They have proven themselves to be #1 in terms of working with multimedia-based content — its creation and distribution. Given the continuing trend of the convergence taking place with computers, telephones, and televisions, the ability to create and work with multimedia is key for many technology-related vendors, and, in my mind, Apple leads in this area.
- Google has shown themselves to be solid innovators as well — and they “get the web.” Their current set of web-based apps — including Google Docs, Calendar, Hangouts, Reader, Alerts, etc. — provide a solid menu of web-based apps to choose from.
- Cisco has proven themselves to be innovative as well, and owns some powerful technologies in their WebEx Meeting Center, Videoscape, networking infrastructures, and some of its other tools.
- Though traditionally not a leader/innovator on the web, I think that Microsoft has deep pockets and they are a savvy business (having just purchased Skype as an example). So with SharePoint, Skype and Office 365, Microsoft is laying the foundation for a solid, web-based collaboration space.
Having said this, one can see that it is getting harder to practice the KISS principle in the IT departments out there. But where we can do so, it makes sense to do so — as there is less finger pointing and more accountability. It’s easier to support a fewer amount of tools and, often times, it seems that things simply work better with a reduced amount of vendors/technologies involved.
So I’ll wrap up this posting by listing some of the things that I’m trying to (simultaneously) keep in mind:
- Web-based collaboration tools such as videoconferencing, shared interactive whiteboards, shared document creation, calendars/scheduling, form creation and reporting tools, chat, other
- Cloud-based content/data/apps/services
- Synchronization across multiple types of devices
- Web-based updates (think publishers’ content in addition to apps)
- Storage plans and pricing
- Types of integration and tools a vendor provides on the cloud
- The end user experience and the usability of proposed solutions
- A vendor’s strategic direction(s) for the future
On 09/21/2011,
in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, business, career development, digital learning, economics, education reform, Microsoft, society, sociology, student-related, surviving, United States, workplace,
by Daniel Christian
Also see:
- Microsoft commits to bringing technology access to 1 million low-income youth — from Microsoft.com
On 09/20/2011,
in Apple, cloud-based computing / apps / other cloud-related, future, Google, Microsoft,
by Daniel Christian
Who will win the cloud war? Apple vs. Google vs. Microsoft — from TechNewsDaily.com by Dan Howley, LAPTOP Staff Writer
Excerpt:
Defining the Cloud
Although the cloud and the various services it supports have been around for quite some time, tech companies have done a fairly poor job of explaining exactly what the cloud is. “When you say cloud services, it’s pretty broad,” explained Michael Gartenberg, research director with the technology research firm Gartner. “Are you talking about digital lockers? Are you talking about cloud-based applications? Streaming music services? Cloud sort of becomes one of those catch-all phrases that becomes hard to define.”
In truth, the cloud is a nebulous term to describe the Internet and the various ways it can be leveraged by users.
For example, cloud storage allows users to upload and access their data via the web, much like an Internet-connected hard drive. When you upload a document or photo to Dropbox, you are storing it on the company’s servers, which allows you to access your files from any computer. Playing a game on Facebook? That also uses the cloud as a backbone.
Cloud-based applications, such as Google’s Docs productivity suite and online music services such as Grooveshark and Pandora, give users access to programs that they previously would have had to install on their PC. Such services save precious resources on users’ computers. However, most of these cloud apps require an active Internet connection. If you’re offline, for the most part you’re out of luck.
On 08/30/2011,
in 21st century, 3D, A/V -- audio/visual, architecture, computer science, digital learning, emerging technologies, human-computer interaction (HCI), learning spaces, machine-to-machine communications, Microsoft, mirroring and/or multiple devices, multi-touch, smart classrooms, vendors,
by Daniel Christian
Also see:
On 08/26/2011,
in 21st century, 3D, A/V -- audio/visual, Augmented Reality (AR), computer science, digital audio, digital storytelling, digital video, emerging technologies, human-computer interaction (HCI), Microsoft, personalized/customized learning,
by Daniel Christian
Also see:
Above items originally/ultimately from:
- Pervasive Entertainment – Games, film, real world, TV merged with social networks — from personalizemedia.com by Gary Hayes
On 06/28/2011,
in cloud-based computing / apps / other cloud-related, Microsoft, tools, vendors, web-based collaboration,
by Daniel Christian
On 06/17/2011,
in computer science, engineering, human-computer interaction (HCI), Microsoft, programming, tools, user experience (UX), user interface design,
by Daniel Christian
Microsoft advances natural UI with Kinect SDK — from cnet.com by Jay Greene
Oregon State University student Alex Wiggins gestures to Kinect, which in turn makes a remote-control
toy helicopter take off while teammates Ruma Paul (left) and Fabio Matsui (right) look on. (Credit: Microsoft)
Microsoft unveils Windows 8 (video) — from Engadget.com by Sean Hollister
Excerpts:
We’re live from Microsoft Windows president Steven Sinofsky’s keynote at D9, and there’s something rather exciting on stage — a pair of experimental Windows 8 dev boards running an OS that looks very much like Windows Phone 7’s Metro UI. All Things D actually sat down with the man earlier today and got a sneak peek at what to expect starting with the live tiled screen you see above — and yes, like Windows Phone 7, this OS is designed for touch.
There’ll be two kinds of applications for Windows 8, one that runs in a traditional desktop, and the other pseudo-mobile apps based on HTML5 and Javascript, but both environments — rather, the entire OS — have been designed from the ground up for touchscreen use. Keyboard and mouse will still be options for both sets of programs, but there are multiple virtual sets of keys for different form factors, including a split keyboard for vertical slate use. Multitasking is simply a matter of swiping running apps into the center of the screen, and you can pull windows partway to “snap” them in place alongside other windows — even mixing and matching traditional desktop programs with web apps simultaneously (like Twitter alongside your spreadsheet). There’s a new version of Internet Explorer 10 (which runs Silverlight) and an app store built into the touchscreen interface, along with integrated services like Office 365. Microsoft says the new OS will run on laptops, tablets and desktops when it appears — whenever that might be.
Microsoft Finally Officially Unveils Windows 8, and It’s Radically Different — from ReadWriteWeb
Windows 8 Revealed: Microsoft Transforms Windows For The Post-PC Era — from Forester by Sarah Rotman Epps
On 05/19/2011,
in A/V -- audio/visual, biology, emerging technologies, Microsoft, nursing,
by Daniel Christian
AnatOnMe projects patients’ insides onto their outsides — from gizmag.com by Paul Ridden
Excerpt:
A team at Microsoft’s research wing has developed a working prototype of a system that may help to encourage physical injury sufferers to do their exercises by giving them a clearer understanding of what’s going on. A therapist would use the device to project a series of graphics of underlying bone, muscle tissue, tendons or nerves directly onto the body of a patient to help explain the nature of the injury and prescribe effective treatment. The device can also take photos during a consultation, which can be subsequently reviewed or printed out as a memory aid for the patient.
On 05/10/2011,
in Microsoft, vendors, videoconferencing, web-based collaboration,
by Daniel Christian
Microsoft to acquire Skype for $8.5 billion — from CNET by Don Reisinger