9th blog

I noticed awhile ago someone made a post about Sony and how they have fallen behind and that made me think and realize Microsoft has also. I think that is due to cell phones, because they are where everyone spends the real cash. A cell phone has become the most important piece to live life with, for 95% of the people.

Microsoft is about to release two cell phones this summer sometime soon. They will be called Kin One and Kin Two, these will be geared toward younger teenagers. They have all the social networking capabilities that are pretty much mandatory for todays teens. Along with special features within the camera and video camera that allow you to just click and drag the picture or video and send it to everyone at once, or post it directly online. A main thing they are trying to advertise for these two cell phone is that the music player on the phone is powered by Zune.

http://www.kin.com/

I hope that this helps Microsoft out significantly. Maybe this will just be one step for them in the cell phone market, and then they will run with it. Who knows, looks like only time will tell.

Hide your Facebook from your Employer

Well if you're thinking of applying for a job with a dirty facebook? think again. most employers now check the persons facebook before they hire them to see who they are hiring. A recent survey commissioned by Microsoft found that 70 percent of recruiters and hiring managers in the United States have rejected an applicant based on information they found on their facebook.
What kind of information? Inappropriate comments by the candidate, unsuitable photos and videos, criticisms of previous employers, co-workers, or clients. Even inappropriate comments by friends and relatives.
For better or worse, online screenings may be a permanent part of the 21st-century hiring process. The Microsoft survey found that 79 percent of U.S. hiring managers have used the Internet to better assess applicants. Big ten schools are looked at as big party schools, which many students are very upset about because it hurts their reputation of getting recruited by big companies. so if you're graduating in the near future and have a facebook, look at it and see if it's appropriate for your mom and dad to look at. many companies have software that can access your facebook without the person knowing, so don't think just because they are not your friend they can't see your information.
this is something new and it's staying for good, many of us should be careful on what we put in our facebook or other networking websites.

Anna's 8th Post

One of my favorite articles we've read for the class was "Medivet: The Veterinary Partnership." I think I particularly connected with this one because I love animals so much and I think this is a great way to apply information systems and technology. The subject of the article, Medivet, is a veterinary clinic in Europe. Once an animal is registered with them, they can go to any Medivet location.

This makes Medivet very convenient, because veterinary emergencies aren't planned, and the most important thing is getting the pet under medical care as soon as possible. However this convenience has presented a problem. If the animal isn't seen at its regular clinic, then their information isn't available. This includes insurance and vaccination and medical history.

Medivet worked with Microsoft to solve this problem. They used data management software to compile all of the information into one database, so that it is accessible from any branch. This will no doubt save many animals lives. The most surprising thing to me was that this software wasn't already installed, especially because the article talks about using the information in medical practices for humans. I just assumed it existed already, but I was wrong, so I'm very happy it does now! I'm glad that society is using information systems to benefit animals and not just humans!

Microsoft

Microsoft is one of the largest and most diverse industries in the world. They provide a broad range of goods and services withing the computer technology industry. Founded by William Henry Gates (Bill Gates) in 1975, it has grown into a premier company. Listed as the 49th largest public company in the world by Forbes.com, it has made currently made Mr. Gates the worlds 2nd richest man(although 60% of his assets are now outside of Microsoft.). Microsoft has a spectacular balance sheet, with 77 billion in assets(2009) and about 27 billion in liabilities(2009), this gives them a stockholders equity of almost 40 billion, and an estimated profit of close to 18 billion for the fiscal year.


As stated earlier Microsoft was founded in 1975 by Bill Gates, in order to sell BASIC interpreters for the Altair 1800, one of the first microcomputers ever created. Gates struck a deal with Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems(MITS), to implement the BASIC programming language for the Altair. This move helped launch the Altair Basic, which marked the beginning of Gates career. He moved to New Mexico where MITS was located and founded Microsoft. After initial success Gates moved the company to the Seattle area of Washington State, and in 1980 hired Steve Balmer, his 24th employee and first business manager, who would succeed Gates as CEO of Microsoft in 2000. Together the two men have worked together to become two of the most successful men on the planet.


Over the last 30 years the company has seen tremendous, and somewhat unprecedented success. Although it has not come without criticism as many lawsuits and claims have come against the software giant for everything from monopolistic practices to environmentally damaging policies. The company currently has a hand in almost every aspect of the computer technology industry. Some of its most popular products/services include; MSN(web portal), the Microsoft Office Suite, Windows Live, Windows Vista, the Zune, MSNBC, the Xbox/Xbox 360, and the newly developed Windows 7. These are just a few of the examples of currently used products and services, as they have designed hundreds of products over their 35 year history. With this said the future of Microsoft seems bright, with no signs of the industry slowing down Microsoft is firmly in position to continue dominance of all things technological.

Apple vs. Microsoft

On Tuesday's class, we got into a pretty lengthy discussion about the Ipod's stranglehold on the mp3 player market as well as Apple's growing grasp on the consumer market. Being an avid Apple product user/die hard fan, I had a lot of bias in this discussion. Upon further reflection, I had some extra insight on the "who can take and keep control of the market" debate and these are some of the thoughts I was having.

To me there are basically two markets: Business and consumer. Now, these two markets are quite unequal in size since businesses obtain computers and associated products in bulk and use them every day. The consumer market is also quite large, but since it breaks down to individual people buying individual products, there aren't as many items being sold in quantity. Since businesses rely so heavily on information systems and IT these days, it would be quite time-consuming and expensive to completely ditch the systems they've been using for years and years for a newer, different system. I like to think of it as if America decided to use the metric system. Of course it would make a lot more sense on the whole considering every other part of the world uses it, it would be a huge hassle and very impractical because we are so used to it. For this reason, I believe Microsoft will continue to keep their grip tight on the business market and since it is quite larger than the consumer market, continue to stay on top.

Apple on the other hand has definitely made their presence known for the individual, which is exactly what their business model must be focusing on. There is a lot of money to be made from the consumer, and what Apple does best is they keep innovating and creating wonderful computers and peripherals that are so user-friendly that it is a no-brainer for somebody to purchase. As long as Apple continues to stay on the cutting edge of technology and continue to make more and more accessible user interfaces without sacrificing quality and durability, I don't think Microsoft would be able to touch Apple with a ten foot pole.

Both of these companies can co-exist in the computing business as long as they realize what their individual strengths are as a company and strike that with full force.

Microsoft Surface(Revised)

In my blog today I would like to discuss the Microsoft Surface. the Surface is a large multi-touch computer that allows users to interface with technology in a whole new way. This technology has a wide variety of business and personal uses that stands to change the way that people view computers. Some companies like AT&T have already began to capitalize on this technology, with many more likely to follow suit. The surface has broad implications in the business world, where it has potential in many industries from retail outlets and restaurants, all the way to manufacturing or office use.

The Surface has four main areas that differ it from any other computer system. First is the direct interaction that the user has with the computer; there is no keyboard or mouse, and it is not just a simple touchscreen either, as the Surface also can be instructed by gesturing. Secondly it is a multiple user computer. With a 30 inch screen it is easy for several people to gather around and interact with each other using the Surface. Third development adds on to the second, saying that it is directed from multiple areas. While object recognition is the last and most fascinating area. This feature simply lets you place objects on the screen, and will provide different responses depending on the object.

The Microsoft Surface has a distinct makeup, unlike any other computer system. It has a 30-inch screen that sits on top of a table like build. It is 22 inches high, 21 inches deep, and 42 inches wide. Important features include the powdered steel interior frame, and acrylic top surface. The system is run by a custom version of Windows Vista has capabilities to support Ethernet, wireless, and bluetooth connectivity.

Microsoft New Touch Table

Last week on monday we looked at the new product by Microsoft, the touch table. This I think, is just incredible. I mean, who knew we could have something of this magnitude that can do just about everything. I couldn't get the video to post on here but if you go to http://www.youtube.com/ and type microsoft new touch table, there are a few videos you can watch that show many of the new features that this product offers.

It just amazes me that a video table can actually do all of these things. If you lay your camera on the table, it can pull out all the pictures and they will all pop up on the table for you to see. You can paint or draw on it with your fingers, it allows you to order things off a menu if you were to go to a restaurant and use it. There is no need for a waiter or anything along those lines. You simply click what you want and you can even edit it and what comes on your meal. You can order drinks and have them served right to you and one of the coolest things about it was that you can actually set your credit card on the table and it will read the barcode and get all of your information. It allows you to choose on the table, what tip percentage you want to leave and it calculates that and then adds that to your tab and you are all set to leave. There was even an application where you can put a live moving jigsaw puzzle together like for example they showed us a racecar driving and each square was a part of the picture but it was in action moving so I thought that was pretty neat.

Some bars and restaurants already have these tables and they are expected to keep growing in more areas. They say in the video that they expect people to start having these in their households in three to four years but the video was in 2008, so that would mean within the next year or two. However, the price tag on these is outrageous so I don't know how many people would be willing to actually buy them that can afford them. Certainly they won't be a common household item like a television or what not, at least not for quite some time.

New Xbox

The world of video gaming has come along way. From the beginning with Atari's world of pong to the Nintendo wii which has a whole new way of interacting with the system. The wii allows you to play along with an interactive controller. For example in a baseball game you swing the controller and your payer swings the bat. Will Microsoft has stepped there game up and they are now coming out with the Xbox Natal which surpasses the wii's ability to interact.

The Xbox Natal is really a new way to game and with this comes a new way to interact with your system. This new system has no controller, it makes you the controller. It has the ability to recognize who you are and what your doing. This new way of controlling your system leads to all kinds of new ways to play. Instead of swinging the controller you can scan your bat and the use your own bat. This allows you to use your own bat allowing for you to pretty much play the game without leaving your living room. This system has all kinds of new features.

The Xbox Natal allows you to video chat with your friends from your couch. The scanning system allows for a whole new way of sharing. Lets say you draw a picture and you wanted to show your friends. The Natal allows you to scan that picture and send it to all your friends. This system really is amazing and just goes to show how fast the technology is evolving. This has to make you wonder what they'll come out with next.

modularity

Sticking with todays topic of modularity, I wanted to talk about something that all of us use in our everyday life without even recognizing it. In fact, I had no idea that what I was doing was related to this strange five syllable word until today. We use modularity nearly every single day of our lives and don't even blink at the amount of innovation that has gone into it. 

An example of modularity that sparked my interest is the evolution of word processing documents. Sounds thrilling right? Wrong, it's not. However, what I found interesting is that we utilize a form of modularity every time we type up a two paged, double spaced wikepedia summary for one of our classes. Todays word processors are able to function completely independent of each other, yet through some magical process, seem to open and edit each other's documents with flawless ease. These programs are great examples of modularity in our lives. They operate completely independent of each other yet coupled with a minimal upgrade or built in convertor, they are able to work in cohesion between different computers and program versions. For example, no matter what version of Microsoft Office you happen to be using, you are able to open and edit your document with ease on a multitude of computers and operating systems. With the addition of the "x" on the end of the file name, some of the older versions may require an upgrade to open the newer documents. However once this "coupler" is installed, you will be able to open all versions of Office documents with ease. Mac has taken this a step further. Their new "office" package, iWork (Pages, Keynote, Numbers) is able to seamlessly open and edit all Microsoft documents, no matter the year or version. They have been able to build an advanced "coupling" system right into their software in order to maximize the ease of which we view and edit documents. If formats are not compatible (fonts, colors, etc.), the program will automatically convert into a compatible format and give the user a comprehensive list of things that were changed. No downloads or file conversions necessary. 

This is not particularly riveting stuff but its important to acknowledge the level of innovation that we are able to utilize on a day to day basis. This idea of modularity that once upon a time helped connect train cars together is now being used to easily integrate thousands of different world wide file formats into one easy user interface. 

All Hail Google

Seeing as we've been discussing the evolution of computer science in the last two classes, I thought it would be appropriate to talk about about what is, in my opinion, the forerunner in technological Darwinism. As I am writing this, Google Inc. stock is being traded at nearly $600 per share, completely owning the technology sector. To put a little perspective on how staggering this number really is, lets compare with Microsoft. The company that was once so strongly monopolizing the market that the feds had to intervene is going for a solid $30 per share, or about 1/20th of Google. The reason I mention this is to bring attention to the fact that the brilliant folks at Google have managed to completely revolutionize the way business is done with regards to computers.

Now a builder of computers gets to take money from the consumer one time. Meanwhile the consumer is using that computer for years to come, and Google recognized this. Instead of getting into race to build better, faster, cheaper computers, Google decided to take its own path when they essentially went right over companies like Apple or HP and said we're not going to build computers, we're going to capitalize off how people use the product that you built. They've been able to do this a variety of ways but the most prominent being a revolutionary approach to internet advertising. By actively monitoring the consumers internet habits and with the upkeep of an endless global database of cookies and keystrokes, Google is able to deliver personally tailored ads to the market demographic most likely to respond to them. Coupling this with their recognition as the most powerful search engine on the planet, buying ad time from Google instantly becomes a very alluring idea for any business owner. Now this is obviously an oversimplified synopsis of how they make their money but the way that this company has been able to compile information about its target market is truly phenomenal.

In fact, Google has amassed so much information on each and everyone of us that they probably know more about us than our mothers do. Google knows where we get our news, it knows our credit card numbers, it even knows what kind of porn we watch and who were having an affair with through Facebook messaging. Google knows all and could probably take on God in a trivia contest. And if they say knowledge is power, well then Google may be the most powerful entity on the planet. I case you haven't figured it out yet, I am pretty convinced that Google's world takeover is inevitably in our near future. I will use this blog over the next few weeks to keep you updated on what Google is doing from a business perspective as well as throw in a few paranoid thoughts of my own.