Phanfare, a subscription-based video and photo archival service, has paired up with Hewlett-Packard to offer an updated version of its Photon application for the iPhone and iPod touch, and it’s available starting today for free in the iTunes App store. The new version of Photon lets […] Read more »
What happens when you promise end-users a persistent connection to data, applications and services regardless of the device they’re using? Mobile cloud computing aims to deliver just such a promise. Mobile access to popular web-based services such as Facebook and Gmail, combined with next-generation smartphones like the iPhone, Palm Pre and Android devices, is driving broad adoption of mobile data. However, the center of economic gravity is shifting. Historically, access to the mobile network was the service. But as users have expanded the uses for those bits, what the user does in a given session becomes fundamental to how much the service provider can charge the user or a third party (e.g. an advertiser). Thus, it’s likely that the mobile, IT and MCC sectors will continue their current marriage of convenience to attack a rare convergence of both short-term and longer term opportunity. However, in the process of adapting to an Internet that’s becoming more global, mobile and web-based by the day, the mobile and IT industries will be forced into new ways of doing business. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
We’re not down at the DEMO conference in San Diego this week, but there are quite a few online video startups presenting. I wrote up Vitamin D’s smart security video software this morning, and Chris is planning to get an in-person demo (and I can see […] Read more »
The concept of attention is fascinating, Bernardo Huberman, senior HP fellow and director of HP Labs’ Social Computing Laboratory, said at Mobilize 09 today. To that effect, Huberman mentioned a couple of Labs products that he’s been working on that came out of research on mobile […] Read more »
Data centers are a critical component of many businesses these days, but because of the amount of electricity they consume, they are extremely expensive to run. However, a great deal can be done both to cut costs and reduce their environmental footprint, simply by making them more energy efficient. Online technologies and applications are creating skyrocketing demand for new data centers, and most enterprises are now seeking “greener” solutions, both in their own facilities, and in the facilities with which they do business. This report looks at innovations in green data center design and identifies key players — from major data center operators to startups solving specific issues — leading the charge. Read more »
The mobile content distribution industry began to undergo a seismic shift last year with the launch of Apple’s App Store, and a host of competitors from across the mobile spectrum are in various stages of following Apple’s lead. Google was first with Android Market, which is built on an open-source platform backed by a consortium of dozens of key players in wireless. Research In Motion jumped on the bandwagon in recent weeks with its BlackBerry App World, and Microsoft, Nokia and Palm – among others — are set to launch offerings this year.The motivation to build an application-distribution channel varies from segment to segment, of course. This report identifies the major players in the application-distribution model and looks at how the trend will affect carriers, handset manufacturers, developers, content owners and end users. It also examines key factors that will contribute to the success or failure of specific app stores, general shortcomings in the new app-store model, what solutions are already needed and how the space will evolve over the next several years.
UPDATED Aug. 31, 2009 (9:31a.m.): Report re-posted with summary table included Read more »
The last decade has seen tremendous evolution and innovation in storage array technology — from the introduction of thin provisioning and ultra-wide data striping to storage virtualization in various forms of deployment, along with new generations of disk arrays, creative data retention and tiering. Many of the technologies introduced have caused significant disruption in the storage market and brought new and creative value propositions to corporate data centers the world over, lowering both storage array purchase costs and the extended cost of managing them. Many of the new innovations have enabled IT enterprises to reduce power and cooling costs, consolidate data centers and floor space, and repurpose storage assets and extend their useful life. However, even with all the advancements in storage technology, there are still gaps that need to be filled — such as in the areas of security and data de-duplication. This report looks at current key players in the storage market, highlights market drivers and the technology gaps that present opportunities for companies in the space, and forecasts the relative potential of key players going forward. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
We’d like to say thanks to this month’s jkOnTheRun sponsors. Fuze Meeting: HD Meetings – From Fuze Meeting Best in Cell Phones: The Best Cell Phone Deals are Here! Read more »
The storage industry is on the cusp of the biggest structural change since networked storage began to substitute for direct-attached storage a decade ago. Despite being one of the fastest growing technology sectors in terms of capacity, the economics for many participants are deteriorating. Several major technology shifts will radically redefine the economics of the industry leading to slimmer margins for all but the most innovative, software-driven players. In essence, the future of storage is about storage software that increasingly absorbs intelligence that used to be hard-wired in a proprietary storage controller and array, which in turn is increasingly becoming an abundant pool of commodity disks. It is the pace of this transition that is at issue. In this report, we show how the different customer segments and associated workloads will evolve at different paces, and examine the associated opportunities for both incumbents and new market entrants. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
After a slow start, IPTV, or Internet Protocol Television, has become established as a legitimate pay TV alternative to satellite and cable. Now that several IPTV operators have each attracted more than 2 million subscribers, IPTV has begun to attract the attention of media companies and ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
The Android Developers Blog offers a highly detailed overview of soft keyboard input methods today. It’s mainly geared towards software developers, of course, but end users get a nice understanding of the various IME or Input Method Editors in the Android mobile OS. Although the focus […] Read more »
Hewlett-Packard thinks it has a clever online video idea. According to the Bits blog, HP’s new Gabble isn’t trying to take on YouTube directly, rather, it is focused on letting you share videos with only the people you want. You know, just like Viddyou, Vimeo, Motionbox, […] Read more »
