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Saturday, February 27, 2010
Friday, February 26, 2010
Associated Press Announces Plans for iPad Application - Mac Rumors
Associated Press Announces Plans for iPad Application
Friday February 26, 2010 05:04 PM EST
Written by Eric Slivka
The Associated Press today announced plans to create a new business unit known as "AP Gateway" that will focus on mobile platforms, with an application for Apple's iPad tablet device set to serve as the launch product from the division. AP Gateway will also seek to leverage the technology behind its iPad application to assist its local news affiliates with creating packages of their own content.It appears likely that the application will require a paid subscription as the new organization continues its attempts to monetize mobile distribution of its content, although an AP executive suggested that it may appear as a free application at first.
The group already has drawn up plans to charge for an application designed for the iPad, a 1.5-pound tablet computer that Apple Inc. is scheduled to release at the end of March. The price of the application has yet to be determined, although it might start free, according to Jane Seagrave, a senior vice president who becomes the AP's chief revenue officer Monday.
Much like the AP Mobile news product, the iPad app will show custom packages of headlines, stories, photos and video from the AP and from newspapers and broadcasters that choose to contribute their content and share the revenue. AP members also could use the same system to offer their own iPad apps that show their own content.
Attempts to bring newspaper content to the iPad have hit a few hurdles as the device's launch approaches with internal units of The New York Times reportedly vying for control over the distribution and disagreeing over pricing for the newspaper's content. Newspaper and magazine publishers have also been expressing concern over revenue sharing with Apple and the company's unwillingness to share subscriber information that publishers depend on for marketing and tailoring their content.
Rating (6 Positives; 6 Negatives)
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Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Friday, February 12, 2010
Thursday, February 11, 2010
IBM to support iPhone, Macs with new software | Software, Interrupted - CNET News
Alistair Rennie, GM Lotus Software
(Credit: IBM)
IBM is trying to reach more Mac and iPhone users, as well as making the enterprise more social.
Big Blue is expected to announce Thursday at Macworld San Francisco that it will soon be delivering its enterprise social platform, Lotus Connections, and Lotus Quickr team collaboration package for use with the iPhone and Mac.
Organizations can "now use IBM software for enterprise social networking, instant messaging, and securely encrypted e-mail and collaborative applications with the iPhone and Mac," said Alistair Rennie, general manager of IBM Lotus software.
Lest you think this is a "hell has frozen over" moment, Rennie said the motivation behind the efforts to expand the IBM software user base to Apple products is part of the continuum of an on-going trend toward the consumerization of IT.
In addition to lifestyle changes where staff are expected to be "always-on," this consumerization trend is also heavily rooted in mobility. Mobile was once considered an add-on to the desktop, but analysts estimate that mobile devices will exceed personal computers by 2013 with global shipments of mobile devices growing 46 percent to more than 250 million in 2010.
Rennie asserted that IBM needs to be able to support multiple platforms as consumer technology drives IT requirements. People want to use their iPhone or other device at home or on the road and still be able to do all the things they need to for work.
Similarly, the ways that users collaborate on projects are in a constant state of flux. In some cases, the devices are becoming more specialized, but the bigger trend is to see common smartphones--BlackBerrys, iPhones, etc.--running applications designed to specifically support collaboration tools.
Rennie said IBM intends to support the iPad with the notion that every enterprise user will eventually have multiple devices that they use at various times of the day. The main challenge is ensuring that enterprise level security methods such as encrypted email is available on the mobile devices.
To that end, IBM also launched an iPhone application for Lotus Notes that claims to be the first to support securely encrypted mail on the device.
In many ways, IBM's entrance into the consumer space is the opposite spectrum of Google and Microsoft, both of which are heavily dependent on consumers for product adoption (though Microsoft clearly straddles many different customer segments.)
IBM's efforts to support Apple alters the longtime business IT approach focus, which, according to Rennie, is appropriate for both the market and the way that user consume these types of social software.
In addition to the iPhone software, IBM will also be showcasing the latest version of Lotus Symphony 3.0, IBM's free Microsoft office alternative. Based on OpenOffice, Lotus Symphony 3.0 has support for many of the features that OO.org users have complained about, such as macros in Excel. According to Rennie, it can provide a complete alternative to MS Office and remains free of charge
As for whether this move would raise Microsoft's hackles, Rennie said this offering is not so much anti-Microsoft, rather that it's "pro-customer around open environments."
Microsoft probably doesn't love that its customers have a choice, but realistically it needs to accept that customers like having choices and innovate its own products rather than complain about others coming into its territory.
IBM to support iPhone and Macs to further consumerization trend of IT.
Monday, February 8, 2010
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
US Cybersecurity: Chinese Cyber-Attacks Reach 'Unprecedented' Level: Blair - CNBC
Britain's MI5 has been expressing increased alarm regarding this as well. At least in the US, I feel almost nothing is being done to actually protect our cyber assets compared to the seriousness of the threat. In particular there is insufficient engagement of private enterprise. Successful prevention will require law enforcement, defense, and private enterprise investment.
