Game-on with Windows Phone 7? - 13 Oct 2010 - by gins

This week, Microsoft took their first necessary step on the road to mobile redemption... the long-anticipated Windows Phone 7 launch. Response was generally upbeat, and although it is too early to place bets, due to both operator and vendor support, the platform will in fact have an impact on the smartphone OS space and on the application developer community. On a personal level, I'm more optimistic of Microsoft's prospects now than at any time over the last two years.

Referencing some of my earlier blogs, I doubt the OS will have a meaningful impact on Apple or on Android (Steve Ballmer's comments notwithstanding), while Symbian, webOS, and the Linux-based also-rans will probably suffer. RIM remains an enigma due to its installed base and focus. RIM's absolute market-share will continue to drop, but the market is large enough for four strong players. So, where did Microsoft get it right, and where do they have work to do?

User Experience - Positive: Here is where they got it right by mandating a minimal set of hardware requirements, despite the negative impact on the low-end of the market that will provide Android with a free reign in the 'value' smartphone space. The hardware baseline will positively impact application development based on this assured experience and will avoid some of the OS version fragmentation experienced within the Android community. However, I do think that the devices initially released don't necessarily take full advantage of the promise of of the OS, and there will probably be a shakeout in terms of form factors.... what works, and what doesn't. Early reviews tend to bear this out.

Windows Marketplace - Neutral to Positive: The marketplace is easy to navigate, or not any less so than iTunes. A current disadvantage is the requirement to purchase apps via credit cards, no different than iTunes, but leveraging a much smaller subscriber base. Going forward, given operator-based payments, this disadvantage should disappear and may actually turn out to be an advantage in other regions.

Device Ecosystem - Negative: Here is where Redmond has work to do, and where Apple has a commanding advantage with its iPod and iPad, especially when one looks at recent sales trends. There are over 120 million iDevices in circulation, begetting a massive developer community. And, control over the user experience is more assured, further encouraging high-end application development and providing an advantage over Android. Given WP7's aim at the higher-end of the market, a viable iPod-type device as well as a tablet based on WP7 are essential in providing a critical mass for application development.

Operator Support - Positive: WP7 presents a less intimidating option for operators than Apple, in that it follows more closely their traditional operator - handset vendor - OS provider ecosystem and provides for operator branding and differentiation. Given the diversity of hardware and wide operator support, this should help drive demand.

Gaming - Positive: Too early to predict, but the Xbox tie-in is unique in the mobile community, and could have a positive impact on device uptake by hard-core gamers. This is Microsoft's battle to lose, and I personally think that WP7 devices could make great remotes.

Google Instant Se&&&&&& - The Brave New World of Cloud-based Blacklisting - 7 Oct 2010 - by gins

In the short time that Google Instant Search has been active, supporters and detractors have been more than vocal on its merits and shortcomings. A few days back, the 2600, a well-known hacker site, published a list of those searches that default to a blank screen instead of a list of most popular search results (as is the case with Google's traditional search interface). The first few entries from the list are as follows:

Now, beyond the simple existence of the list, the do-no-evil acolytes at Google (and yes, the analogy to the Church over the last millennium is intended) have created a rich set of fodder for social psychologists.... a snapshot of the memes, no-fly zones, and politically charged catch-phrases that only an all-encompassing cloud-based intelligence, if I may call it that, can provide. As one of my colleagues noted, the cloud is providing an unprecedented tool to analyze trends and possibly control human behavior, but he then went on to note that unfortunately, although he finds the field fascinating, he can still make more money flogging speeds and feeds.

What is scary is how tools such as instant search can begin to influence research, popular discussion and dissension, and eventually, the very existence of a fact or event. I'm sure the propagandists of the early 20th century only wish they had this power at their disposal. It truly is a Brave New World. Huxley... are you watching?

You Can Have Your Tablet Any Way You Want It...... OS Fragmentation Revisited and Security Implications - 1 Oct 2010 - by gins

In what seems like an eternity ago, enterprise IT managers were confounded with the first wave of mobile workers, toting devices based on Pocket PC 2000 and 2002 (offering phone support), followed by Windows Mobile 2003 (offered as Premium, Phone, Professional, and Smart Phones.... you get the idea), 2003 2nd edition, 5.x (integrating Exchange support), 6.x, also offered in multiple versions (Standard, Professional, and Classic), and with 6.5 introducing the Windows Phone brnading, and the week after next, Windows Phone 7. Seen this movie before?

Just when it seemed there was a bit of rationalization in the enterprise space, with IT managers converging on RIM, Windows Phone, and more recently the iPhone and Android, along comes the tablet with a completely new set of support and security issues.

On the OS front, we've now got the iPad running iOS, and multiple revisions of Android with handset vendor customizations. I doubt a Samsung Galaxy Tab, a Dell Streak, the Cisco CIUS, and a host of other Android tablets will exhibit the same behavior when users call for support. Got Security? In the other corner are the Windows 7, RIM Tablet OS (based on QNX), and HP devices (based on webOS). At least one would hope these are secure. Add a bit of Windows Phone 7, Symbian, and who knows what else, and if I were an IT manager I'd be very worried.

Unlike smartphones, where document viewing is a painful experience at best, the tablet lends itself to content storage in the same way as a laptop. Product powerpoints, COGS spreadsheets, internal launch videos, functional descriptions... bring 'em on! Apps developers are falling over themselves perfecting the various forms of side and cloud-loading, and iOS 4.2 will even further the problem. I personally find that a simple email enclosure addressed to me does the trick, in combination with GoodReader. The scary part is my cavalier attitude toward my iPad, toting it around and stashing it in all sorts of undignified places. Oh the stories it could tell.

So, beyond the OS, my firm belief is that the document management problem will create many a late night headaches for IT personnel. This is what must be addressed for risk-free tablet adoption within the enterprise. And the problem is real. I see it within some of the largest and security-savvy tech companies in the valley. Best practices implemented as part of smartphone deployments seem to be cast by the wayside in equipping employees with tablets. Consider it a wakeup call.