InformationWeek Weblog

Verizon Says Droid Fix Coming In A Few Weeks

Eric Zeman — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 21:30:01 -0500

This evening I received an email from Verizon Wireless. It contained some welcome news for owners of the Motorola Droid. You see, Google has pushed out new SDKs for Android 2.0.1 and Android 1.6. This means the folks over at Motorola and Verizon can dig their hands into the code to fix the Droid's camera issue. Oh, and I have some info on the Droid BOGO event happening this weekend.

Comcast-NBC Deal Highlights Net Neutrality Issue

Fredric Paul — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 20:16:41 -0500

What does it mean when the nation's largest Internet Service Provider, like Comcast, buys one of the biggest content creators in the world, like NBC? For one thing, it means the already contentious issue of Net Neutrality is about to get even more heated. Hopefully, it will galvanize the FCC to create and implement Net Neutrality rules that protect the interests of other companies doing business on the Internet.

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IDC Predictions Fail To Surprise

Thomas Claburn — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 19:38:07 -0500

Business advisory service IDC issued a series of predictions for 2010 on Thursday and managed to say nothing at all that's surprising.

BillShrink: Check TCO Before Buying Smartphones

Eric Zeman — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 16:59:02 -0500

The average selling price of smartphones may be dropping these days, but that doesn't mean that contract plan prices have dropped, too. BillShrink put together a list of devices and what their total cost of ownership is. Check it out.

YouTube Becomes Light As A 'Feather'

Eric Zeman — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 14:05:13 -0500

Not all Web connections are created equal. It's with that in mind that Google offered up YouTube Lite today, called "Feather." Its promise is to get those videos playing faster, even if you have a flaky Web connection.

The Case For Specialized Hardware

George Crump — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 11:59:52 -0500

As we described in the last few entries, adding storage software to standard servers or even to virtual servers is making more sense for a variety of data centers because of the increased performance capabilities of the Intel processor family. Despite this there may still be times in certain environments where there is a need for specialized storage hardware.

New iPhone App For Car Care Underscores Mobile's Potential

Bob Evans — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 11:42:00 -0500

Your business is kinda gritty so it's not really possible for you to offer a fancy-schmancy iPhone app, right? Wrong!! A new iPhone app from the AAMCO car-care chain "lets our customers take that peace of mind with them wherever they go by putting our expert technicians right on their phones."

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iPhone Headed For T-Mobile?

Ed Hansberry — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 01:10:38 -0500

For the US, it is generally assumed that the ultimate marriage between device and carrier would be the iPhone on Verizon. The iPhone is unquestionably the most popular single phone out there for consumers and Verizon is the largest network in the US with impressive coverage and a great 3G network. The iPhone though may be headed to T-Mobile first.

Windows Mobile Phones Get A Better Bing

Eric Zeman — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 22:25:43 -0500

Using a Windows Mobile device? Like performing lots of searches when on the go? Need better performance all around? Get ready for a better Bing. It's free, and it's here today.

VDI & Netbooks: Questions & DR Testimonial

Jonathan Feldman — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 21:57:51 -0500

My post discussing a VDI pilot project in conjunction with netbooks produced a variety of responses. These readers chose not to post their comments to the public site, so I thought it would be a good idea to highlight two of the most interesting ones.

Podcast: Panda Security CEO Juan Santana

Alexander Wolfe — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 15:22:20 -0500

I sat down recently to chat with Juan Santana, chief executive of the largest security vendor you might not be familiar with. Yet Panda Security, founded in Spain in 1990, is huge in Europe and no slouch either in the United States, where it competes against the likes of Symantec, Trend Micro, Kaspersky, and McAfee. I talked with Santana amid the launch of Panda Cloud Protection Service, which moves threat analysis to the cloud and installs with a very small footprint on the client.

Accenture Stock Target Soars As CEO Sees IT Recovery

Bob Evans — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 15:22:00 -0500

A Credit Suisse analyst has boosted his target price for Accenture shares from $42 to $55 on the expectation that enterprise IT spending is beginning to loosen up and that Accenture will be a prime beneficiary of CIOs' more-expansive spending habits and their increasing acceptance of outsourcing.

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Latest Motorola Android Phone To Feature HDMI Out?

Eric Zeman — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 14:35:14 -0500

Images have appeared of what purport to be a new Android device from Motorola. One quick glance is all it takes to discern that this device is a non-keyboard version of the Droid. Closer inspection, however, reveals a truly unique feature: an HDMI out port.

Mayor Gavin Newsom on Digital San Francisco (Part 2)

Fritz Nelson — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 13:12:35 -0500

In the second part of our three-part video interview series with San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, we talked about the role technology can play in the transformation of a city, including addressing the growing digital divide, the progress on STEM in San Francisco, and the role the Bay area will play, as a hub of technology innovation, in helping lead the way to economic recovery.

Texas Hospital District Fires 16 For HIPAA Violations

Mitch Wagner — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 12:43:01 -0500

The Harris County Hospital District of Houston, Texas, fired 16 employees, accusing them of violating patient privacy laws by inappropriately accessing the records of a medical resident who'd been admitted to the hospital after she was shot in a grocery store parking lot.

India Outsources Jobs To U.S. In Video-Effects Field

Bob Evans — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 12:00:00 -0500

Based in Bangalore, India, a Tata subsidiary that specializes in video effects and animation will open a high-tech delivery center in Los Angeles next week to cater to Hollywood's appetite for video wizardry. Since this is clearly a case of outsourcing, I must ask the question: will the professional positions created at the new lab be "our jobs"?

Taking Another Look At TweetDeck

Mitch Wagner — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 11:31:13 -0500

What Twitter client do you use? TweetDeck is a favorite of many people who use Twitter for professional purposes. I've been an enthusiastic user of Tweetie for the Mac since it came out more than seven months ago, because I love its powerful, simple, and easy-to-use interface. However, TweetDeck now supports Twitter features that Tweetie doesn't, so I figured I'd give TweetDeck another try. And I'm liking it.

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Wed, 02 Dec 2009 11:31:13 -0500

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Open Source: An 'Advertisement On Steroids'

Serdar Yegulalp — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 11:17:54 -0500

That's one of the many analogies and observations drawn by Vyatta CEO Kelly Herrell in a blog post about the economics of open source. The open source business model is tremendously effective, in his eyes -- it's just that its effects are not always measured in dollar values, and that can drive the money men crazy.

The FBI's New Tech Team

John Foley — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 11:12:23 -0500

The FBI's newly appointed CTO, Jeffrey Johnson, brings an outside-the-beltway background to the job--he worked for Lehman Brothers, a hard-charging technology innovator, until last year. FBI CIO Chad Fulgham also worked at Lehman Bros., as well as at IBM and JPMorgan Chase. Look for their private sector experience to be reflected in the intelligence agency's IT strategy and execution.

An Eyewitness To Ousted CEO's Impact At GM

Mary Hayes Weier — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 10:42:32 -0500

We were in a meeting yesterday at General Motor's headquarters with Kirk Gutmann, chief technology and strategy officer, when a woman walked in and handed Gutmann a note. I could see type highlighted in bright yellow. She said, "You need to be in a 4 p.m. board meeting that just got called." I saw a flash of concern pass over Gutmann's face. We shook hands, and our meeting was quickly adjourned. Less than an hour later, I learned CEO Fritz Henderson had resigned.

Can You Support Remote Workers In Case Of Flu Outbreak?

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 09:56:38 -0500

With the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention this week reporting widespread H1N1 flu outbreaks in 32 states, many companies are dealing with or anticipating the need for staff to work remotely in the months ahead. This can present a challenge for IT organizations that haven't in the past dealt with large numbers of remote workers.

Google Gives Up On Gears

Eric Zeman — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 09:35:41 -0500

Google has admitted that it is no longer developing its Gears browser plug-in. Instead, it will focus efforts on HTML5, which it says will accomplish much of the same functionality that Gears made possible.

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Get Your CEO A NetBook For Christmas

Michael Healey — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 08:29:01 -0500

Or else. It�s no surprise that organizations are now looking at adding netbooks into their device mix. A recent InformationWeek Analytics survey found that 72% of enterprises surveyed planned to expand their use of the devices over the next 48 months.

Carriers Selling Info About You To Government

Ed Hansberry — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 00:01:47 -0500

The companies you use to access the internet, both household broadband as well as wireless, have an incredible amount of information on your online habits. They know where and when you to go to sites and in the case of wireless carriers, they usually know where you are in the real world. To supplement their revenue, they are apparently selling this information to the government.

SF Mayor Gavin Newsom on Open Govt (Part 1)

Fritz Nelson — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 18:03:05 -0500

In a wide-ranging interview with InformationWeek, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom talked about DataSF.Org, the role of social networking in politics and running his diverse city, and the role of San Francisco in the digital world. In the first of three in this video series, Newsom discusses how his city has embraced the "open and transparent government" concept.