IBM buys UrbanCode for its devops chops
Big Blue says UrbanCode’s software works well with its own Worklight mobile application development platfrom to speed up the creation and deployment of mobile (and cloud) apps. Read more »
Why IBM might ditch servers and become Intelligent Business Middleware
IBM is reportedly in talks to sell it’s server business to Lenovo. As it ditches commodity hardware again, where is IBM’s fortune going to be made? Mobility and data. Read more »
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How the mega data center is changing the hardware and data center markets
photo: Facebook
Mega data centers’ innovations in serviceability, automatically detecting and recovering from failures, procurement practices, and so forth will become standard practice in all modern data centers. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Dell buyout just got (much) more complicated
photo: Getty Images
Uh oh. Carl Icahn thinks the deal crafted by Michael Dell and Silver Lake Partners to take Dell private for $24 billion woefully underestimates the company’s worth. Stay tuned… Read more »
Lenovo adds BlueStacks Android player to Windows 8 PCs
BlueStacks gained a big new partner at CES: Lenovo will be installing the BlueStacks software on Idea-branded PCs. The app player runs Android software within Windows 8, but it’s not just about apps: BlueStacks can sync SMS messages from phone to computer. Read more »
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IT spending update, third quarter 2012
While cloud, mobility, social, and analytics have been driving demand for IT products and services in 2012, the worldwide IT spending picture has become dimmer as the year has progressed: We’re looking at 5.1 percent worldwide IT spending growth in 2012. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Windows RT slate makers: the good, the not so bad and the ugly
Microsoft announced four initial hardware partners for the first Windows RT slates. Of the four, two have some solid tablet experience while another showed promise with early smartbook designs. The last one, however, is a dark horse, as it has limited success with consumer electronics devices. Read more »
EMC: Lenovo deal won’t impact Cisco relationship. Really.
The new deal between EMC and Lenovo to sell server-storage bundles could shake up hardware rivals including Dell, Hewlett-Packard and — perhaps most intriguingly — Cisco Systems. EMC, Cisco and VMware are partners on the VCE Vblock effort. Read more »
Powered by Macheen, Lenovo sells bits of no-contract 3G
Lenovo is taking a new approach to make its ThinkPad laptops more appealing to consumers and enterprises: Lenovo is also selling no-contract wireless data. Called Lenovo Mobile Access, the service provides an 3G connection to ThinkPads for as short as 30 minutes, costing $1.95. Read more »
Lenovo readies an iPad competitor: IdeaTab S2109
Lenovo released a video overview of its newest slate, the IdeaTab S2109. The 8.9 millimeter Android 4.0 tablet with 9.7-inch display doesn’t have an official price, but there are a few clues indicating that this IdeaPad will be priced at or below Apple’s $399 iPad 2. Read more »
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New challenges for the IT organization
Cloud computing, mobile computing and the consumerization of IT combine to create another force that overwhelms IT departments: complexity, including complexity of devices and applications, physical and virtual computing environments, and related challenges for IT staff. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Here’s why the PC will still be around in the “post-PC” era
In two years’ time, your personal cloud will replace your PC as your go-to computing resource, according to Gartner research. The prevailing wisdom is that the desktop and laptop PC — or any non-smartphone, non-tablet device — is headed for the dustbin of history. Read more »
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The big theme of MWC: How to live in a connected world
The industry has moved beyond starry-eyed soothsaying about a world of 50 billion connected devices to start talking about how these mammoth networks of objects and appliances would actually work and how they would be managed. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Tablet makers with no ecosystem should turn to Windows 8
By 2016, one-third of the U.S. population will own a tablet, says Forrester. This figure — 112.5 million people — is an upward revision due to two names in the tablet market: Apple and Amazon. All other tablet makers should leave Android for Windows, says Forrester. Read more »
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CES 2012: a recap and analysis
This year’s CES was the biggest in the show’s 44-year history. It boasted 15 miles of exhibit hall aisles, 3,100 booths and 153,000 attendees. It is easy to be jaded by the endlessly repetitive products, but the thousands of innovations point toward a future of connectivity. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
@ CES: A Year Later, iPad Competitors Much Quieter
The definitive gadget of CES 2011 was the Android tablet, heralded by more than one company as the answer to the iPad. A train-wreck of a ye… Read more at paidContent »
Intel’s Atom gets 2 phone customers, but that’s not enough
Motorola and Lenovo have agreed to embed Intel’s Medfield applications chips in forthcoming Android phones. But for Intel to call Atom a success, it needs to make headway with the big handset makers, a difficult task considering how cozy many of them are with ARM. Read more »
The CES Lowdown: 1-11-12
Here’s a look at what’s been going on at the giant electronics show that is CES: Read more at paidContent »
@ CES: Intel Gets The Mobile Partners–Motorola and Lenovo–It Badly Needed
Intel (NSDQ: INTC) has convinced a couple of big-name consumer electronics companies to jump on board with its mobile strategy. Lenovo and M… Read more at paidContent »
The secret behind all those shiny CES gadgets? Cloud computing
As usual, a big chunk of the news out of the Consumer Electronics Show this year revolves around bright-and-shiny devices. But this time out, those devices are acting as the Trojan horses for the hardware makers’ cloud vision. The battle’s all about cloud services now. Read more »
Lenovo IdeaPad S2: Docking tablet runs for 20 hours
Rivaling Asus’s Transformer Prime, Lenovo is showing off its own tablet with keyboard dock at the Consumer Electronics Show. The dual-core IdeaPad S2 weighs just 1.1 pounds, runs Google Android 4.0 out of the box and lasts for 20 hours with an optional keyboard dock. Read more »
Lenovo launches first Ice Cream Sandwich TV
A TV that features voice control, facial recognition, thousands of apps, a game pad and 3-D video?No, it’s not the rumored Apple TV, but a new Smart TV made by Lenovo that’s based on the latest version 4.0 of Google’s Android OS. Read more »
Why the MacBook Air will be the iMac of notebooks
Apple’s iMac occupies a prized place in a fast-growing segment of the overall desktop PC market, the all-in-ones, that few others can approach. It got there by spotting a growth opportunity that’s paying off big now, and the MacBook Air is primed to do the same. Read more »
As China PC sales grow, more plan to buy Apple
A new Morgan Stanley survey found that Apple is the most desirable brand of computer in China right now, beating out local heavyweight Lenovo. China became the biggest buyer of personal computers as of August, according to IDC, so that’s great news for Apple. Read more »
Plant shutdown may disrupt Apple, HTC products
Charter, a China-based manufacturer is partially closing production due to nearby communities reporting bad odors. What’s impacted? Laptops and smartphones that use metal casings: Apple’s MacBook Air and handsets from HTC. Other laptops and new ultrabooks may be impacted too; just before the profitable holiday season. Read more »
Apple’s Mac sales strong as PC market returns to growth
Apple is doing well in the PC market, even if you don’t count iPad sales in the mix. The latest numbers from IHS iSuppli reveal that during the second quarter of 2011, Apple saw double digit growth year over year in its worldwide PC sales. Read more »
Hoping to steal iPad sales, three new tablets debut
Big hardware vendors continue to fight Apple’s iPad for a piece of the tablet pie and the three newest entries debuted today at the IFA electronics show. Samsung went high-end in a small device, while Lenovo went low cost. Meanwhile, Toshiba slimmed its 10.1-inch Android tablet. Read more »
IPad helps Apple take top spot in worldwide mobile PC market
Apple is the No. 1 mobile PC manufacturer in the world, beating rival HP for the top spot in the latest quarterly rankings. Apple shipped a total of 13.5 million units for year-over-year growth of 136 percent, 80 percent of which were tablets. Read more »
Apple passes Lenovo in Chinese sales revenue
Apple has been showing strong growth in greater China in recent quarterly reports, and now it looks like the company is even beating a longtime regional heavyweight for the first time, taking in $3.8 billion in sales revenue vs. Lenovo’s $2.8 billion last quarter. Read more »
Now playing on more Android devices: Netflix
Netflix certified more Android devices for its software, adding support for a number of handsets and tablets powered by Nvidia’s Tegra 2 processor. That brings the total number of Netflix-capable smartphones and tablets up to 22. Good, because consumers don’t care whose chip powers their device. Read more »
Lenovo’s three new tablets try to tackle the iPad
Lenovo today introduced a trio of new tablet computers, two running Google’s Android 3.1 operating system and the third powered by Microsoft Windows 7. Netflix certification and pen support are nice features, but those alone aren’t enough. For the same cost, consumers are opting for iPads. Read more »
Usability and Shareability to Drive Tablet Market
Although Apple’s iPad has everyone’s attention, the tablet wars won’t be fought and won this year alone. A number of contenders are on the way and this disparity in platforms and form factors will help increase tablet sales 54 percent per year through 2015. Read more »
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A Global Mobile Handset Platform Forecast, 2011 – 2015
Within the next five years, smartphones will account for more than one-third of all handsets sold worldwide, thanks largely to platforms like Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android. This research covers the global handset platforms market for the period between 2011 and 2015. We first examine the factors contributing to this worldwide growth, from a slowly recovering economy to the rise of technologies like 4G and LTE. Regional factors affect growth, too, and our research includes a forecast for the following areas: the Americas; Europe; the Middle East and Africa; and Asia-Pacific. Forecasts are on a global and regional basis for the most important platforms: Android, Apple iOS, BlackBerry, Symbian and Windows Mobile. Companies mentioned in this report include Apple, Google, Nokia, Research in Motion and Microsoft. For a full list of companies, and to read the full report, sign up for a free trial. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Lenovo’s New Mobile Division: Better Late Than Never
After dumping its mobile phone group in 2008, Lenovo bought it back for double in 2009. Now the company has formed a new Mobile Internet and Digital Home Business Group, just as computer sales are eclipsed by smartphones. Is it too late for Lenovo? Read more »
The Real Tablet Wars Will Have to Wait Until Next Year
Even with release of the Galaxy Tab this week, it looks like the real battle to upend the iPad won’t happen until next year. Lenovo’s CEO confirmed that its LePad tablet won’t hit the market until 2011. LG also pushed back the release of its tablet until next year. Read more »
Apple Slips, HP Climbs in Green Gadget Ranking
Greenpeace has been a thorn in the side of the consumer electronics industry with its Guide to Greener Electronics for years. The latest edition shows shuffling in the ranks of top companies as they launch new products and sail past deadlines for eliminating hazardous substances. Read more »
Power Brick Meets USB Hub: From Lenovo
Road warriors will soon be cheering world-wide as word spreads about the new Lenovo Power Hub. This product is so simple that it’s amazing no one has produced one before now. Take a power brick and add four USB ports to it without making it bigger. Read more »
Lenovo Goes 3D with IdeaPad Y560d
The world seems consumed with 3D, with talk of 3D TVs and computers all over the news lately. Computer maker Lenovo is paying attention to this and introduced its first 3D notebook — the IdeaPad Y560d. The 15 inch notebook can play 3D games and movies. Read more »
Lenovo Delays U1 Hybrid, Skylight for Android
Two of the most interesting gadgets we saw early this year at the CES in Las Vegas were both from Lenovo. These two products have been delayed by Lenovo according to Laptop Magazine, because the company is going to drop Linux to use Android. Read more »
Mobile Tech Manor #90: Look, it’s a SkyGrid
The end of another week is upon us and that means it is time to share my week in Mobile Tech Manor with you. This week saw gadgets littering every surface in the Manor and I spent hours playing with them, er, evaluating them. Read more »
