‘Footpath technology’ is (perhaps) the most recent entrant regarding how retailers can track any given consumers movements / patterns (within a shopping mall; store, etc.) that’s likely to come under increasing government scrutiny (especially if it is employed on unsuspecting end-users) as NFC (and related technologies) is / are still hard-pressed to demonstrate how best to strike a balance between cutting edge vs. an invasion of privacy.
(Source) WSJ: http://goo.gl/rY1M2
Redmond would in all probability benefit more from focusing on the (actual) functionality of their Smartphone technology versus the marketing-hype as proven – once-again – by this ‘head-to-head’ (no pun intended) competition with Apple…
(Source) CNN Money: http://goo.gl/j0g0Z
AT&T and T-Mobile seem headed for a break-up (before they officially united) which (will) hopefully demonstrate two points: 1) that the DOJ / FCC, etc. are actually working on behalf of consumers; 2) said beneficiaries will actually have better choices (due to more competition) as a result!
(Source) SF Gate: http://goo.gl/t3Jyg
With Thanksgiving marking the ‘official’ kick off of the (2011) holiday season… the potential / prospect of retailers offering a discount bonanza could bode well on two accounts: 1) (obviously) for consumers; 2) for retailers themselves. Let the frenzy begin…
Perhaps better late then never; yet, the FCC’s announcement that they’re going to review the proposed AT&T / T-Mobile merger smacks of political-grandstanding more than actually looking out for the best interests of American consumers…
(Source) NY Times: http://goo.gl/eFOK2
Facebook’s long-rumored Smartphone is supposedly due in 12-18 months with HTC as the maker of said model (code-named, Buffy). Simply put: while the opportunity for the firm is certainly there (considering that Facebook is accessed regularly by roughly 350 million active mobile users) the challenge that they face (aside from HTC designing a distinct / unique handset is the OS). In other words, do they continue to be captive to either Apple or Google (the two dominant players therein) or do they design an alternative OS from scratch? (Never an easy proposition i.e., look at Redmond’s on-going failure within this area and how many years they’ve experienced such as the most significant example of how expertise in one area doesn’t equate to being able to transfer it / success in another!)
(Source) All Things D: http://goo.gl/utrkH
After initially criticizing the unauthorized use of, etc., Microsoft has completely reversed themselves (the firm actually went so far as threatening legal action against the earliest hackers who altered Kinect) by now offering to incubate said medium’s ideas (that are viable) as fledgling Start-ups with TechStars as the providers of a nominal amount of seed money!?
In sum. either Microsoft has actually woken-up to the potential of this device and/or TechStars duped them into a possible PR-stunt (perhaps due to getting shown up by Y Combinator’s on-going success / traction with launching viable firms).
(Source) Engadget: http://goo.gl/MoiCK
Android (OS) malware quintupled since July (2011) which is nether a surprise and/or (unfortunately) anything other than the reality of being ‘open’ (akin to what happened with Redmond being hit en mass when Windows was also going through a period of explosive growth paralleling the cycle that said OS is experiencing). The major difference(s) (though) is / are that the Smartphone Revolution is dwarfing the PC Revolution by orders of magnitude… as is the sophistication of the ill-intent of the perpetrators and the technology available to those who write said nonsense… which in all probability makes the scale and magnitude of this challenge much more insidious… and, that (obviously) is ‘news’.
(Source) Computer World: http://goo.gl/UXThk
A smartphone by Amazon; yes, that’s right… rumor has it that they’ll launch one in Q4 of 2012. Granted, that’s an eternity in today’s tech-time-frame. However, if they can successfully pull this off and compete with a handset it should come as no real surprise that the firm could launch said device (aside from potentially offering a viable one at that).
(Source) The Inquirer: http://goo.gl/WWaq9
Long-rumored and delayed; Google has thrown their hat into the on-line music ring (dominated by iTunes; Amazon and piracy, etc… not necessarily in that order!) Nevertheless, given the explosive growth of their Android OS this move was both inevitable and in all probability also a defensive (flanking) one.
(Source) Reuters: http://goo.gl/0Ib5e
