Microsoft's mobile strategy remains as clear as a Malian referee's vision at the World Cup. Last week Redmond started talking up its Windows Embedded Handheld business, which will be based on Windows Mobile 6.5 until a new line of phones comes out that's based on something called Windows Embedded Compact 7. There might or might not be an upgrade from WinMo 6.5 to WEC 7, and we have no idea how or whether Windows Mobile 7 fits into all this. Somewhere in all of this confusion, somebody was called for a phantom foul and the Americans had a winning goal disallowed. Boo. Seriously, though, is it any wonder that Microsoft is getting its lunch eaten in the mobile market? We think not...
Posted by Lee Pender on June 21, 20100 comments
We know what you're thinking: What are they going to do, report themselves? Just kidding...sort of. We're kind of not kidding about the bankers. But we digress... What looks like something of a motley crew (as opposed to Crue -- and, no, you're not getting a video for this one) is actually out to report fraud on the Internet. We think that this is a great initiative, actually -- not only because it'll help people avoid being defrauded but also because it could turn into a nice source for running jokes.
Posted by Lee Pender on June 21, 20100 comments
Those of you who think that PCs are on their way out might want to think again. IDC says that PC sales will grow 20 percent this year, meaning that Microsoft's Windows cash cow should keep mooing and grazing for quite a while to come.
Unless Dell starts herding it toward the slaughterhouse. The Texas PC maker, not the powerhouse it once was but certainly still relevant, is talking to Google about running the Chrome operating system on its laptops -- rather than Windows, maybe. Now, this story hasn't gotten all that much play yet, but we at RCPU think that it could end up being a pretty big deal.
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Posted by Lee Pender on June 21, 201012 comments
The dude who might have (or might not have...) exposed the e-mail addresses of thousands of iPad users recently has just gotten himself into a whole mess of trouble with the FBI...over drug charges. This could be nothing, of course, but it's a slow news week. Anybody want to guess what kind of drug a 20-something computer geek might have just maybe allegedly had (although we don't know for sure)? We don't know -- but we're thinking of horticulture here...
Posted by Lee Pender on June 17, 20102 comments
Your editor is not a fan of Twitter, in case you hadn't picked up on that in recent months. So it was with a touch of glee that we read this week that Twitter isn't keeping up very well from traffic from the World Cup. We knew there was a reason why we were soccer fans... Maybe the World Cup will be the event that brings Twitter down once and for all. We can only hope. In the meantime, of course, you can follow RCPU at http://twitter.com/leepender, as always.
Posted by Lee Pender on June 17, 20102 comments
Partners have had their hands on Office 2010 for a while now, but the massive productivity suite just rolled out to consumers on Tuesday. It's not cheap -- depending on the version, it runs from about $150 to nearly $500.
Five hundred dollars? (It just looks so much more dramatic spelled out.) Granted, that's for the highest-end version of the software (Office Professional 2010), but your editor does much of his work on a netbook that only cost $350 -- and that was with an upgrade to 2GB of memory plus the cost of shipping. We at RCPU are still trying to figure out Office 2007 (at home -- not in the office). Why on earth would we move to Office 2010? Heck, Office 2003, like XP, still works just fine. Your editor is typing in Microsoft Word 2003 right now.
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Posted by Lee Pender on June 17, 201023 comments
This is kind of a developer thing, but it should be pretty interesting to anybody looking to build applications in Azure. Microsoft has released a set of guidelines on how to make sure apps built in Azure are safe. Guideline No. 1 (not really): Don't tell any Google researchers about any security flaws.
Posted by Lee Pender on June 16, 20100 comments
Another company is trying to come up with a tablet computer that will inevitably not be as cool as the iPad (although we still officially think that the iPad looks ridiculous). This time, it's all-business BlackBerry maker Research in Motion. We're still not sure why anybody would want a tablet computer, but those folks who do shouldn't lack for choice in the years to come.
Posted by Lee Pender on June 16, 20100 comments
Code-named Archie, Bunker-V...nah, we're just kidding. It's not code-named Archie, but Bunker-V from Microsoft could end up being critical to Hyper-V security.
Posted by Lee Pender on June 16, 20100 comments
Those of us who own netbooks are familiar with Intel's Atom processor, the little chip that powers the little computers without actually using that much power. Well, a start-up called SeaMicro has produced a server that features 512 Atom processors and is supposed to save power consumption by 75 percent, whatever that really means. SeaMicro's backers? Venture capitalists, naturally…and the US Department of Energy.
Posted by Lee Pender on June 14, 20100 comments
We're still looking for stories of software audits gone horribly wrong. Have you had the Business Software Alliance or a vendor rough you up during a licensing audit? Do you have a nightmare story to tell? Tell it to [email protected], with assurances that your confidentiality is absolutely guaranteed and that only I will see your story. I will not run it anywhere without contacting you first and getting your explicit approval. So, send me your worst…
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Posted by Lee Pender on June 14, 20100 comments