RK

Mobile Neutrality and the Google Phone

I am skeptical. There are many unanswered questions.

You can't launch a phone in much of the world without carrier cooperations. Is Google handling this or the ODM doing this?

How does Motorola or any other phone maker feel about Android if Google becomes a competitor? Microsoft would be pleased.

Is Google going to handle the customer relationship regarding the phone? What is the distribution strategy? Google has never done retail before. Think customers who spend $600 on a device would be satisfied with low overhead web based (no call center) customer support? I think not.

Google Is Dead Serious About Chrome

Chrome may be incrementally better than its peers (which is debatable). But it does not matter.

It is like we do not care who has the best TCP/IP implementation or WIFI implementation. They are all good enough.

Google Voice Search Goes to China

I would not count on Google being extremely successful in China. The government does not like Google. At best, the government tolerates Google. It is extremely unlikely the government would let Google to take over a lucrative market in China.

Google's Fast Flip: A Business Model for Newspapers?

Not sure this solves the economic problem for the traditional media. The problem remains that online advertising is very lowly priced compared to print advertising. The media companies must shrink their operating budget to fit the online world. The shrinkage in turns makes their content less interesting as they lose staff.

The iPhone's Remarkable Early Penetration

One major difference between the PC market and mobile device market is the former was enterprise driven while the latter is driven by customer demand. The PCs were too expensive early on and only enterprises could afford them. They desired uniformity and scale: WinTel was the right combo at the right time.

Mobile devices are selected by consumer tastes and preferences (RIMM devices are an exception). Like other consumer electronic devices, these markets do not have the winner take all characteristics: e.g. consumer audio, TV, camera, video game markets. Already, we are seeing cameras incorporating GPS and social network integrations. The proliferation of mobile devices will continue. Something akin to wintel taking over 90% of the mobile device market is extremely unlikely.

Microsoft-Yahoo Deal: Highlights and Analysis

The biggest risk to the deal is the long period of time for the integration to happen: 24 months. That is a long time. YHOO management must hold onto the key people for the transition period even though their jobs are disappearing. This is a tough thing to pull off especially if the Silicon Valley job pictures improves substantially in 2010 and 2011.

Still YHOO and MSFT had to do something to counter GOOG. My only criticism is that the transition period is so long. A 12 month aggressive transition is what is needed.

Microsoft Gets Its Edge Back

I am not an investor in MSFT except in my S&P index. The company is like IBM in the early 90's competing at every front and in technology imaginable. It focuses on everything. It competes against IBM and Oracle on server technology, against Oracle and SAP on ERP systems, against Google on search, against Apple on Mobile OS, OS, and MP3, against Sony and Nintendo in gaming consoles, against Pandora in music streaming, against Amazon in cloud infrastructure, against Adobe in web programming environment, and against Logic Tech in keyword and mice. I am sure I am missing a few more. Is it possible for one company to do all these?

Another 'Great' Moment in AP History: Clueless Exec Unaware of AP's Own Video

Funny and sad. Cluelessness about what its own YouTube activities in a news organization and SEIU employees complaining about the union. Real life is much better than satires. No need for Jon Stewart; we just need to follow the internet. LOL.

Newspapers Are Still Trying to Charge for Online Content

Personally, I am dropping my subscriptions to paper as well as electronic news due to tighter budgets and the discovery that most news sites offer no significant values. I am getting most of my news and opinions for free. Why pay? The vicious circle of reduced readership and fewer advertisers will continue.

Jonathan Ive: More Valuable to Apple than Steve Jobs?

A CEO's main job in a public company is optimal capital allocation, making the most money out of a capital base. A great design talent, while extremely valuable, does not portend success with capital allocation. Mr. Jobs has successfully opened new markets for Apple not once but three times not counting the computer line: ipod and itunes, Apple retail, and iphone. Few CEO's can create two new markets in their career, let alone three times. Most big companies get into new markets by acquisitions: see Cisco, Oracle, Microsoft, HP, IBM. Apple is unique in this respect.

A Real iPhone Challenger - Barron's

HTC is great at churning out large variety of phones. Based on my direct observation of the HTC phones around me in the office, the fit and finish of the hardware with the software (Win mobile) are not great. Probably due to Win mobile as much as the hardware. It is uncommon for me to see repeat HTC buyer. It is just my observation.

Why Microsoft (Yes, Microsoft) Could Dominate Software-as-a-Service

Would be nice to see some projected number. The investors are worried as SaaS replaces server license revenue. As companies switch to hosted exchange server, the number of exchange server licenses drops. Will hosting companies stop the drop and add the # of exchange server licenses? Explosion of MID devices and cloud computing will reduce the need for Windows desktop licenses also.