Archive for the ‘Off Guard’ Category

News reached us last week that India’s government has an ambitious project underway to build and offer a functional tablet computing device for just $35. The Western world was quick to question India’s ability to build the device, especially since a previously announced $10 PC did not materialize. This new project has already a mockup and is seeking manufacturer interest. Would you buy it? Update: We originally published this article on July 25, 2010. We added current information from the actual release of the device today, but found it worthwhile to re-release the article, as the content is still accurate and reiterates our analysis and opinion on the opportunity of this device.

I have spent much of this week with a large number of peer analysts in the mobile space. As you can imagine much of the conversation is on Google’s purchase of Motorola and consensus appears to be that you can’t trust Google. This appears to be a recurring theme, because the poor OEMs are constantly blindsided by that company and they are particularly incensed that Google would buy one of their competitors.

If you are heading to Oktoberfest in Munich next month, there is an interesting option for getting another place to sleep – for some, this may be a more reasonable option than the lawns surrounding Oktoberfest and overly expensive hotels.

Evidently, Google’s Chief Legal Officer David Drummond has a new title, Chief Whining Officer, and he plans to put his new position on the map. The whine that got him this new title is evidently a complaint that Microsoft is being vastly more successful at protecting itself from patents than he has been able to do and has put Google at a competitive disadvantage.

If you are a long time Netflix customer, you may be suddenly thinking of closing your account this week. I know I am, as they institute what appears to be a 50% pricing increase. I’m reminded that this is the second price hike in a year, but it isn’t as if there aren’t other choices and dropping back into a pay-as-you-go plan suddenly seems like a wise way to save a few bucks a month. On the other hand, this move may actually make sense were it presented better.

Microsoft’s Office 365 launches today as a final version, but its future is cloudy. Literally.

We haven’t touched and we haven’t seen the HP TouchPad. Yet it isn’t difficult to predict that it won’t sell. If you are looking for a capable tablet other than the iPad, this is not it.

Microsoft’s Windows 8 will become the foundation of new interface models and redefine the way we interact with computers

Nearly 20 years after Linus Torvalds’ first Linux post and after 39 major releases for the Linux 2.6 kernel, the OS inventor signed off on Linux 3.0. The new kernel is now available as RC1.

Imagine you are CEO of Microsoft and every splashy announcement you make is being retracted by some guy in your PR department, a guy you probably never talked to. If there is any passion for Microsoft in Steve Ballmer left, someone at Microsoft should be in trouble. Would Bill Gates have accepted a PR department that questions his public remarks?

As HP is telling us that it foresees a tough third quarter and there is no room for financial adventures, WebOS will have to prove its value. If it does not, it could find itself on the chopping block by the end of next year.

Are we the only ones wondering why Google makes such a big deal about a feature no one needs?