Photo of clouds

Trouble in the Cloud: Lessons from AP and Bloomberg

Its been a bad week for the cloud. Businesses of all sizes are under a lot of pressure to save money by moving IT operations into the cloud. for many companies, it can be a lot cheaper and more efficient …

by Steve Wildstrom   |   May 15th, 2013
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The Tech.pinions Minute: BBM

This is a preview of a short audio feature we will officially launch soon.

Todays Topic: Blackberry goes horizontal with BBM

by Steve Wildstrom   |   May 14th, 2013
Bloomberg terminal screen sot

Bloomberg, the Internet, and Trust

We’ve just begun to see the fallout from Bloombgerg LP that, in the word of CEO Dan Doctoroff, “Bloomberg News reporters had access to limited customer relationship management data through their use of the Bloomberg terminal.” In blunter words, Bloomberg …

by Steve Wildstrom   |   May 12th, 2013
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Can Microsoft Compete in a Post-PC World?

Microsoft says it sold 100 million licenses for Windows 8 in the six months it was on sale. Not spectacular, but not bad either. But for Windows RT, Widows 8′s tablet-friendly little brother, things haven’t been so hot. …

by Steve Wildstrom   |   May 8th, 2013
Aspire P3 (Acer)

Windows 8: Hardware Innovation Is Outpacing the Software

 

Windows 8 hasn’t spurred a boom in PC sales, but it certainly is inspiring some unusual hardware designs. The problem, though, is that no one seems able to quite master Windows’ touch and keyboard-plus-mouse dual personality.

Acer is the latest to …

by Steve Wildstrom   |   May 3rd, 2013
President Obama announce Wheeler nomination (White House photo)

Tom Wheeler and the FCC: The Challenges Ahead

President Obama announces the nomination of Thomas Wheeler (right)

Thomas Wheeler has been influencing  communications policy in Washington for a long time, but always from the sidelines. He ran what was then the National Cable Television Association and then …

by Steve Wildstrom   |   May 2nd, 2013
Photo of HP Probook 4400 (HP)

Windows vs. Mac In Schools: All the Wrong Reasons

The Maine Department of Education announced earlier this week that it was switching from Apple Macintoshes to Hewlett-Packard Windows PCs as the technology behind the Maine Learning Technology Initiative. Macs had been used exclusively since the program was started by then-Governor …

by Steve Wildstrom   |   May 1st, 2013
Screen shot of curious.com course

Startup Highlight: Curious Tackles Informal Learning

The world of online education is buzzing with talks of MOOCs–massive open online courses–that many see as the future of higher education. MOOCs certainly have a place, though I’m not quite sure yet of just what it is. But there …

by Steve Wildstrom   |   May 1st, 2013
Cash register image (© Rony Zmiri - Fotolia.com)

Why Internet Sales Taxes Are Inevitable

Later today, the U.S. Senate will consider, and probably pass, a bill that allows states to collect sales taxes on online purchases shipped from other states. Though its fate in the rabidly anti-tax House is uncertain, sooner or later this …

by Steve Wildstrom   |   April 25th, 2013

FileMaker Can Settle the iPad Productivity Argument

Of all the endless arguments that roil the tech world, there is none I find more tiresome than the endless debate over whether the iPad can be used for “real work.” My iPad has been an indispensable part of my working …

by Steve Wildstrom   |   April 24th, 2013

Cord-cutters Beware: It’s Going To Get Expensive

The are many reasons why television viewers choose to cut the cord, to be among the 15% or so of Americans who get by without a cable or satellite feed. But probably the most important is the desire to pay …

by Steve Wildstrom   |   April 17th, 2013

Office for Tablets: Delay Could Be Death

The usually very well-informed Mary Jo Foley reports at ZDNet that we won’t see major improvement in Microsoft Office for tablets until next year, spring of 2014 for Windows RT and fall for the long-awaited iOS and Android …

by Steve Wildstrom   |   April 11th, 2013

The School Standards Debate: Time for Tech To Weigh In

 

Tech people are very fond of whining about the U.S. educational system, complaining that it is not producing the sort of workers they need. With a few notable exceptions–Bill and Melinda Gates and Dean Kamen come quickly to mind–the are …

by Steve Wildstrom   |   April 10th, 2013

Fox, Aereo, and the End of TV

News Corp. Chief Operating Officer Chase Carey’s threat to pull the Fox network from the airwaves if Aereo wins its legal battle to retransmit over-the-air TV signals without paying for them is probably nothing more than bluster. But the fact …

by Steve Wildstrom   |   April 8th, 2013

How To Beat Patent Trolls: Fight

When faced with a lawsuit that has even a slim chance of success, lawyers almost always urge businesses to settle rather than fight. Litigation is extremely expensive, and unless the suit raises an issue of principle that is important to …

by Steve Wildstrom   |   April 5th, 2013