Posts filed under 'Hot off the Press'
It’s official — and ahead of schedule. The Symbian mobile operating system is now completely open source. The Symbian Foundation on Thursday released Symbian 3, the latest version of the platform.
With the open-sourcing of Symbian, along with Google’s Android operating system, the mobile world continues forging an open strategy that invites handset makers to further customize and differentiate their products.
“Open-sourcing a market-leading product in a dynamic, growing business sector is unprecedented,” said Haydn Shaughnessy, CEO of Cogenuity and editor of the Symbian Foundation’s blog. “Over 330 million Symbian devices have been shipped worldwide, and it is likely that a further 100 million will ship in 2010, with more than 200 million expected to ship annually from 2011 onwards.”
Read the rest of my story on NewsFactor.
February 5th, 2010
Regus is putting on its small business consulting cap this week and offering advice for budding entrepreneurs. The serviced office giant figures that the combination of unemployment figures hitting record highs and tight credit markets is breeding entrepreneurs. Cash-conscious entrepreneurs might be a better description.
So what are Regus’ top five tips for ambitious boot-strappers? Let’s dive right in.
1. Divide the best from the rest
First, focus on what you do best and outsource the rest. Regus says small businesses should consider letting someone else handle administrative tasks, such as hiring an office manager or selecting an Internet Service Provider.
Read the rest of my story at aBetterOffice.com.
February 5th, 2010
Are you sitting down? If you’ve leased your office space two or three years ago, you could be paying about 40 percent more than current market rates. So says Richard Douglas, head of Avanta Property Management, a new division of serviced office provider Avanta. But Douglas isn’t just highlight a problem – he’s offering a solution: Avanta Property Management.
Avanta launched the new division to help office users who are locked into long-term property leases – and that have unused space available for subletting – to recover some of its monthly costs. It’s called the shadow market. Companies that have downsized typically have extra office space and can relieve the burden on the bottom line by finding a suitable co-tenant for a sublease.
“There’s a vacuum in the market that’s been created by a mismatch between supply and what potential occupiers actually need. So, we will address the gap between a conventional lease and serviced office space to the benefit of both current and new office space occupiers,” Douglas says.
“There’s a healthy demand from businesses seeking accommodation for one to five years and for between 20 and 100 people, but these businesses are demanding flexible lease terms as they won’t risk making any long-term commitments during the current economic downturn.”
Read the rest of my story on abetterOffice.com.
February 4th, 2010
Microsoft on Monday announced what it called a “significant milestone” with the release of Windows Azure and SQL Azure in 21 countries. That means customers and partners can launch their Windows Azure and SQL Azure production applications and services with a full service -level agreement.
Windows Azure is a cloud -services operating system that serves as the development, service hosting, and service management environment for the Windows Azure platform. Windows Azure provides developers with on-demand computing and storage to host, scale and manage web applications through Microsoft data centers.
“We’re hearing great feedback from those who are developing and deploying applications and services across the Windows Azure platform,” said Doug Hauger, general manager of business and marketing for Windows Azure. He said thousands of customers have moved into production and can begin selling solutions.
Read the rest of my story on Sci-Tech Today.
February 4th, 2010
Have you ever been on a Web site and needed more information about a product or service, but didn’t have time to wait your turn in the phone cue to speak to a customer service agent? If you are like me, the answer is yes.
I stay on the phone a lot as it is. Even though I have two ears I can only hold one phone conversation at a time effectively. So when companies have Web chat on their site, it makes my life a lot easier. I can virtually hold two conversations at once – one on the phone and one via Web chat. It makes me more productive. It helps me keep the plates spinning. And it causes me to be more loyal to the company who offered me this convenience.
Read the rest of my article on the Davinci Virtual blog.
February 2nd, 2010
Looks like Regus heard our cries… The serviced office behemoth just launched a sweepstakes in Chicago. If you’ll recall, last week we posed some ponderings about whether or not Regus would expand its contests beyond Manhattan and Phoenix. Hey, Windy City office users, you can thank us later…
Here’s the deal: Regus is offering Chicago companies the chance to go rent-free for an entire year with its “Win and Office Sweepstakes.” (I’m not sure if that’s a typo in the marketing materials or not. In the New York contest they call it Win an Office… Regus, are you listening?) In any case, Windy City entrepreneurs can enter for a chance to win a free year of serviced office space at any one of Regus’ 28 Chicagoland locations.
“Regus prides itself on understanding its clients’ needs,” says Jeff Doughman, central region vice president for Regus. “Our Chicago-area business centers are tailored to fit every type of business and with this contest we are continuing our ongoing support of Windy City businesses.”
Read the rest of my story on aBetterOffice.com.
February 2nd, 2010
Google may not be winning over the multitudes with its Nexus One “superphone,” but the search giant is gaining ground in the 21st century browser wars. Google’s Chrome browser grabbed market share in January from its key rivals, Microsoft 
’s Internet Explorer and Mozilla’s Firefox.
According to NetApps, Chrome finished January strong, with a 5.2 percent market share. Although a 0.6 percent gain may not immediately rattle the dominance of well-entrenched players like IE and Firefox, it does show a steady flow of users to the youngest player in the browser market.
Overall, Google has doubled its market share, and in January saw the second-largest gain since rolling out the browser in September 2008. Google has already surpassed Apple’s Safari in the browser wars, making it the third-most-used browser.
Read the rest of my story on TopTechNews.
February 2nd, 2010
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