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Why Microsoft Shouldn’t Aim At Google Or Apple

Thom Allen — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 03:58:00 +0000

I read this Wired article today, and I had too cringe hearing Microsoft is taking aim at Google and Apple. Why would they want too? They own such an enormous desktop market, and they could own the mobile space too, but not trying to come at it from the rear. Utilize your existing customer base to build the best mobile experience for Windows users. The reason Android is catching on so quickly, besides the open software and the backing of Google, is it’s really the only smart phone alternative to the iPhone at the moment. There are other platforms, but nothing at the level of an Android phone.

I’m not foolish enough to think Microsoft doesn’t have a huge gap when it comes to mobile market share. I mean they haven’t really put any effort into it for years. But that’s what’s cool about the opportunity they have. If they want to take something from Apple, take the fact Apple goes to incredible lengths to make the user experience the best on the planet. Whether you think that is egotistical, close minded, or plain and simple snobbery, it doesn’t matter. They make products that people like. And Microsoft should focus on the same thing.

I think Microsoft is in the perfect position. I really hope they don’t blow it by trying to “be” a bigger better Apple or Google, because they will fail.

In Search Of The Ultimate Mobile Developer Machine

Thom Allen — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 04:36:20 +0000

Here we go, please take a ride with me as I search out the ultimate mobile developer machine. Why mobile? Because I hate being tied to a desk. I have desk top machines, but I want something with equal power I can take with me. Here is what I am looking for:

Nothing larger than a 15 inch screen. Yes, 15 inches. Any bigger and it’s like lugging around a desktop.
At least 8GB of memory. I would love to have the ability to upgrade to 16GB or even 24GB. Memory is a developers best friend. Next to CPU speed, it’s the key to all goodness.
A hard drive fast enough to keep up with the RAM. I really like what is happening in solid state drives (SSD).
A CPU, well, let’s look at 4, that will allow me to compile in a split second, let me stream video, rip a DVD, all at the same time.
I would love to have built in 3G connectivity, but the more I think about it, the more I would hate to be tied to a specific carrier. So maybe just a USB card will work.
Ability to read just about any memory card. At least 4 super fast USB ports.
Lightweight. This is a mobile machine, remember?

Honestly, that’s about it. Nothing spectacular. The real trick here will be to find one that doesn’t weight as much as your Mothers Cadilac, and doesn’t cost as much as my last Child.

There are really two flavors, an Apple Mac, like a Mac Book Pro, or a PC which can run Windows or Linux. Since I do a lot of Windows development, Linux probably isn’t a viable option. And I don’t want to own a MBP just so I can run Windows on it. You think the simple choice is to go with a PC. But there is more too it than that. I have to make some additional choices, to make the right choice.

First, will I choose to stop developing Windows applications. Honestly, that’s the key question. I can develop everything but Windows applications on a Mac. I know, I know, running Parallels or VMWare Fusion gives me a Windows machine on the Mac, but I don’t want to do that. It doesn’t work all that well on my iMac, and I know it doesn’t do any better on a MBP.

Throw my hat in a ring, and stay there for a while. Honestly, I’m not sure 100% which ring the hat will fall in today. OK, enough of that, off to find The Ultimate Mobile Developer Machine.

What would you recommend?

My Take On 2010 Technology Predictions OS Wars

Thom Allen — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 05:38:39 +0000

In my first post I talked about the platform wars, today I want to talk about the Operating Systems (OS) Wars.

There are really only three operation systems on the market people will generally know; Microsoft Windows, Apple Mac OS X, and Linux. There are a couple of operating systems that are getting some buzz, but most people don’t know they are using them, or don’t recognize the fact they are operating systems. These are mobile or light weight OS’s, like Google’s Chrome OS, Android, Windows Mobile, iPhone, and Palm Pre.

Desktop Operating Systems
Hands down the winner will remain the Windows, specifically, Windows 7. Personally I’ve been using Windows 7 for a few months now, written several blog posts on it, and can say it’s just as stable as Windows XP. Sorry non-windows fan boys, but it is.

Next up will continue to be Apple’s Mc OS X. The real issue most people have with the Mac OS is that it will only run on Apple hardware. Many have tried, some have succeeded, but most fail to run the Mac OS on anything other than an Apple computer. The cost for Apple computers typically keeps the average user from purchasing, and so never get an opportunity to use Mac OS X. Snow Leopard, the latest version, 1.6, is a fantastic operating system. It has all the bells and whistles you could want. But at least in 2010, it will stay behind Windows, and I don’t think Apple cares one bit.

Finally we have Linux. A real geek operating system. This system isn’t for the faint at heart. While distros (that’s what a version of Linux is called, a distro, or distribution package) from Ubuntu and Red Hat slip in consumer features such as a graphical user interface, pre loaded applications, and the ability to manage various hardware features, you still have to have some technical understand of computers, and how to use command line tools.

Personally, I like Linux. I think it’s a solid operating system that stands up to the most rigorous user. But in the coming year for desktop operating systems, Windows 7 will take even a wider market share.

Mobile Operating Systems
As I stated above, several new mobile operating systems will make some waves. I know a lot of geeky friends will want the Google phone to take over the world, it just won’t. There needs to be a lot of baking before that phone will make a huge dent. You will see lot’s of hype, but just as the iPhone hasn’t succeeded in world domination, neither will the Google phone. But it will be cool to see what happens. What I’m hoping Nexus One does, with it’s unlocked phone (meaning it’s not keyed to any service provider) is to push the major manufactures to lower their prices for unlocked phones. People want choices, which is what Nexus One will give them. That will be fun to watch.

The net result of the OS War in 2010 will be negligible. Operating systems have become boring. As long as it’s stable, doesn’t require continual reboots, market shares will remain the same. Companies who produce operating systems make a huge capitol investment, and it takes several years, if ever, to recoup their costs. The average consumer is also averse to change. Updates are considered to be an annoyance, imagine having to upgrade the entire OS every couple of weeks.

I think the next big thing for operating systems will be slimmed down versions built specifically for an application. Linux does this, Chrome could do this. This will be the disruptive play; targeting hardware and applications. It’s happening now I understand, but it will get even more specific over the next year or two.

Google Offers Mobile Friend Finder With Latitude Service (But Not For The iPhone)

Thom Allen — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 18:22:21 +0000

Google pushed out a new product today called Google Latitude. It basically lets you find friends in geographical locations via Google Maps. This is pretty cool. Loopt has been doing this for a while, and so have others. I’m not really sure I see the value in this, other than its a great way to stalk your friends. If I really wanted to know where someone was, I would just ask them.

The interesting part is it wasn’t released for the iPhone. It does work on the Android of course, Blackberry and Windows Mobile. But with GPS and mapping so tightly integrated into the iPhone, I’m really surprised this was left out of the initial release. I hardly ever used mapping on my Windows Mobile device.

Is Google targeting a service like BrightKite.com, where I can check in at a specific location, or upload photos and give it a geo tag? I can see better uses for this service than just seeing who around me. I would also like to be able to update my social network too, like FriendFeed or Twitter, with a link to my latest location.

I’m not sure if this was intentional or chance, but the map on the Latitude home page was in my general area. Weird, huh? Stalking at its best.

[image title="Google Latitude" size="full" id="1051" align="none" linkto="full" ]

Ubuntu 8.10 Caters To The Mobile User

Thom Allen — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 21:00:20 +0000

Looking at the new Linux flavored operating system; Ubuntu 8.10, the latest direction is towards the mobile user. It’s obvious more and more users are going the laptop route, and that has been an issue with operating systems like Ubuntu, possibly because of integrated or proprietary hardware.

I’ve been running Ubuntu on my HP laptop for about 7 months now. It has had issues, specifically with audio drivers and power management. The two issues I’m hoping the 8.10 release will fix are (1 and 2 are basically the same);

1. The auto detecting of my USB headset (affiliate link) when it’s plugged into the port
2. The volume control works with my USB headset
3. Manage my battery better. Ubuntu burns through a fully charged battery in under an hour. I should get 2+. It’s a new battery.

I’m installing the OS right now. I’ll run through my own set of tests and write up a secondary post letting you know how it goes.

By the way, my Ubuntu midnight release party was a bust. When the clock turned over, all I saw was Ubuntu 8.10 coming soon… disappointed. I couldn’t download for another 9 hours. Oh well, I have it now.