THE MOBILE HORNET … for those who get turned on by mobile devices

THE FUTURE OF OFFICE. TODAY.

OFFICE ON YOUR BROWSER … OFFICE ON YOUR DESKTOP

WORKING SEEMLESSLY TOGETHER

These are what Live Documents is offering you:

I thought Google Documents was good enough for all of us.  Do we really need another?

10 YEARS AGO HE SOLD HOTMAIL TO MICROSOFT FOR US$400 MILLION.

10 YEARS LATER HE IS GOING FOR MICROSOFT OFFICE JUGULAR VEIN !

WILL MICROSOFT PAYS HIM US$4 BILLION* OUT OF THE US$20 BILLION OFFICE BUSINESS, TO TAKE OVER LIVE DOCUMENTS ?

*10 YEARS = 10 TIMES MORE : Sounds logical.

Read the breaking news from TechShout :

Today InstaColl, an Indian software product company announced the launch of a hybrid online-offline Office suite of applications called Live Documents. This revolutionary product supports documents, spreadsheets and presentations in all formats, embracing and extending Microsoft’s ubiquitous Office product to the browser. Senior InstaColl representatives including Sabeer Bhatia, and CEO Sumanth Raghavendra were present at this South Bombay event.Most know Sabeer Bhatia as the founder of Hotmail, but what some might not know is that the Bangalore-based InstaColl was also co-founded by him. InstaColl offers solutions that bridge the gap between rich desktop software apps and web-based services.Live Documents allows users to view and edit their documents within any flash-based browser on any operating system from just about anywhere.

Live Documents which was built using RIA technologies like Flash and Flex, uses a Flash-based user interface, offering a richer and more responsive user experience.Sabeer Bhatia said, “Our first step was to take email on to the browser. Now, we have done the same with Office. All aspects of computing will now be done in the sky- it’s called Cloud computing.”Besides accessing Live Documents online, this application is also available as an optional desktop client application that wraps around Office. Basically, Live Documents converts Office apps from static standalone software application to smart clients that are connected to the Internet and allow multiple people to edit a document at the same time, without requiring users to give up their familiar user interfaces. And better still is the fact that Live Documents can be accessed offline, a feature that is not available with any current online Office applications.Thus, as users are offered the choice and flexibility to work on their documents either on the desktop or on the browser and while they are online or offline, any changes made on either side are automatically synchronized to the other side. This ensures that the desktop and Web versions are always in sync sans the need for time-consuming actions like check-in/check-out, upload/download or import/export.”Live Documents is the new productivity suite for the Internet generation providing flexibility lacking in traditional software while retaining that which is important from the past and extending it with unique collaborative capabilities. I believe that Live Documents does for documents what Hotmail did for e-mail,” Sabeer Bhatia further added.Live Documents which has been developed in India over the last two years, also allows users to embed their URL into the application. Thus, blogging is also possible using this application.

As of now, Live Documents has already gone live. The best part is that it is free of cost to all, but is available only on invitation basis from here :

(Click on image for the future of Office)

The commercial version will also be rolled out soon. InstaColl is planning to roll it out enterprise-wise as the biggest advantage for a company using this product would be cost-savings.

InstaColl has no plans to embed ads. “We just want people to enjoy it and tell their friends,” explained Sabeer Bhatia.

Live Documents happens to be just one of the three enterprise products that are being launched. The other two involve real-time collaboration of documents and a security product. Sabeer Bhatia certainly has done India proud, as not only has he come up with Hotmail, ApnaCircle.com, and Arzoo.com, but also works with several software companies besides working on the Nano City project in Haryana.

BUILDING A BETTER PHONE FOR CONSUMERS

Today, there are 1.5 billion television sets in use around the world. 1 billion people are on the Internet. But nearly 3 billion people have a mobile phone, making it one of the world’s most successful consumer products. Building a better mobile phone would enrich the lives of countless people across the globe. The Open Handset Alliance™ is a group of mobile and technology leaders who share this vision for changing the mobile experience for consumers.

The first truly open and comprehensive platform for mobile devices has arrived.

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.; BONN, Germany; TAOYUAN, Taiwan; SAN DIEGO, Calif.; SCHAUMBERG, Ill.,
November 5, 2007 :
A broad alliance of leading technology and wireless companies today joined forces to announce the development of Android, the first truly open and comprehensive platform for mobile devices. Google Inc., T-Mobile, HTC, Qualcomm, Motorola and others have collaborated on the development of Android through the Open Handset Alliance, a multinational alliance of technology and mobile industry leaders.

This alliance shares a common goal of fostering innovation on mobile devices and giving consumers a far better user experience than much of what is available on today’s mobile platforms. By providing developers a new level of openness that enables them to work more collaboratively, Android will accelerate the pace at which new and compelling mobile services are made available to consumers.

With nearly 3 billion users worldwide, the mobile phone has become the most personal and ubiquitous communications device. However, the lack of a collaborative effort has made it a challenge for developers, wireless operators and handset manufacturers to respond as quickly as possible to the ever-changing needs of savvy mobile consumers. Through Android, developers, wireless operators and handset manufacturers will be better positioned to bring to market innovative new products faster and at a much lower cost. The end result will be an unprecedented mobile platform that will enable wireless operators and manufacturers to give their customers better, more personal and more flexible mobile experiences.

Thirty-four companies have formed the Open Handset Alliance, which aims to develop technologies that will significantly lower the cost of developing and distributing mobile devices and services. The Android platform is the first step in this direction — a fully integrated mobile “software stack” that consists of an operating system, middleware, user-friendly interface and applications. Consumers should expect the first phones based on Android to be available in the second half of 2008.

The Android platform will be made available under one of the most progressive, developer-friendly open-source licenses, which gives mobile operators and device manufacturers significant freedom and flexibility to design products. Next week the Alliance will release an early access software development kit to provide developers with the tools necessary to create innovative and compelling applications for the platform.

Android holds the promise of unprecedented benefits for consumers, developers and manufacturers of mobile services and devices. Handset manufacturers and wireless operators will be free to customize Android in order to bring to market innovative new products faster and at a much lower cost. Developers will have complete access to handset capabilities and tools that will enable them to build more compelling and user-friendly services, bringing the Internet developer model to the mobile space. And consumers worldwide will have access to less expensive mobile devices that feature more compelling services, rich Internet applications and easier-to-use interfaces — ultimately creating a superior mobile experience.

Open Software, Open Device, Open Ecosystem

“This partnership will help unleash the potential of mobile technology for billions of users around the world. A fresh approach to fostering innovation in the mobile industry will help shape a new computing environment that will change the way people access and share information in the future,” said Google Chairman and CEO Eric Schmidt. “Today’s announcement is more ambitious than any single ‘Google Phone’ that the press has been speculating about over the past few weeks. Our vision is that the powerful platform we’re unveiling will power thousands of different phone models.”

“As a founding member of the Open Handset Alliance, T-Mobile is committed to innovation and fostering an open platform for wireless services to meet the rapidly evolving and emerging needs of wireless customers,” said René Obermann, Chief Executive Officer, Deutsche Telekom, parent company of T-Mobile. “Google has been an established partner for T-Mobile’s groundbreaking approach to bring the mobile open Internet to the mass market. We see the Android platform as an exciting opportunity to launch robust wireless Internet and Web 2.0 services for T-Mobile customers in the US and Europe in 2008.”

“HTC’s trademark on the mobile industry has been its ability to drive cutting-edge innovation into a wide variety of mobile devices to create the perfect match for individuals,” said Peter Chou, Chief Executive Officer, HTC Corp. “Our participation in the Open Handset Alliance and integration of the Android platform in the second half of 2008 enables us to expand our device portfolio into a new category of connected mobile phones that will change the complexion of the mobile industry and re-create user expectations of the mobile phone experience.”

“The convergence of the wireless and Internet industries is creating new partnerships, evolving business models and driving innovation,” said Dr. Paul E. Jacobs, Chief Executive Officer of Qualcomm. “We are extremely pleased to be participating in the Open Handset Alliance, whose mission is to help build the leading open-source application platform for 3G networks. The proliferation of open-standards-based handsets will provide an exciting new opportunity to create compelling services and devices. As a result, we are committing research and development resources to enable the Android platform and to create the best always-connected consumer experience on our chipsets.”

“Motorola has long been an advocate of open software for mobile platforms. Today, we’re excited to continue this support by joining Google and others in the announcement of the Open Handset Alliance and Android platform. Motorola plans to leverage the Android platform to enable seamless, connected services and rich consumer experiences in future Motorola products,” said Ed Zander, Chairman and CEO of Motorola, Inc.

Open Handset Alliance Founding Members

Aplix (www.aplixcorp.com),

Ascender Corporation (www.ascendercorp.com),

Audience (www.audience.com),

Broadcom (www.broadcom.com),

ChinaMobile(www.chinamobile.com) ,

eBay (www.ebay.com),

Esmertec (www.esmertec.com),

Google (www.google.com),

HTC (www.htc.com),

Intel (www.intel.com),

KDDI (www.kddi.com),

Living Image (www.livingimage.jp),

LG (www.lge.com),

Marvell (www.marvell.com),

Motorola (www.motorola.com),

NMS Communications
(www.nmscommunications.com),

Noser (www.noser.com),

NTT DoCoMo, Inc. (www.nttdocomo.com),

Nuance (www.nuance.com),

Nvidia (www.nvidia.com),

PacketVideo (www.packetvideo.com),

Qualcomm (www.qualcomm.com),

Samsung (www.samsung.com),

SiRF (www.sirf.com),

SkyPop (www.skypop.com),

SONiVOX (www.sonivoxrocks.com),

Sprint Nextel (www.sprint.com),

Synaptics (www.synaptics.com),

TAT - The Astonishing Tribe (www.tat.se),

Telecom Italia (www.telecomitalia.com),

Telefónica (www.telefonica.com),

Texas Instruments (www.ti.com),

T-Mobile (www.t-mobile.com),

Wind River (www.windriver.com)

THE COUNTDOWN BEGINS

In another few hours you will be able to Chat, have video calls and also share your photos with family and friends from your PC and your mobile phone.

Be amongst the first to experience this new way of working online by clicking this link and entering your email on the form.

This service is provided by Microsoft Corporation but your personal details will be collected by MRM Worldwide (UK) Limited on behalf of Microsoft Corporation.

The Microsoft Zune is still behind the Apple iPod in sales.  Lets hope that these 2 videos below will help attract more buyers to the Zune.

Click onto image below and transport yourself to the colorful world of the Zune.  Move your mouse on the Zune screen to experience the various functions and enjoy the music:

and get yourself blown with this TV commercial on the Zune:

I have posted ( 4 levels down ) about the beautiful T-Mobile Shadow home screen in comparison to Microsoft default screen for the Window Mobile Standard device.

I hope Microsoft will come out with an upgrade for existing Smartphone owners so that they too can enjoy this new feature.

Watch this video on the Shadow and tell me whether you desire the new UI :

MICROSOFT PAID US$240 MILLION FOR ONLY 1.6% OF FACEBOOK

Microsoft has just made a move on one of Silicon Valley’s hottestpieces of property.

For weeks, rumors were swirling that Microsoft was wooing Facebook and considering investing in the social networking giant.

True to these rumors, the pair has finally gone public about their new partnership. Microsoft has agreed to fork over $240 million USD to gain a minority share in Facebook. The move gives it only a small percentage – approximately 1.6 percent — of Facebook’s net worth. However, even such a small commitment between these two giants will likely have major ramifications in the software and internet industry.

According to accounts, internet media giant Google was narrowly beat out in intense negotiations by Microsoft.

FACEBOOK NET WORTH US$15 BILLION

The move raises Facebook’s net worth to approximately 15 billion dollars. Interestingly this means that if each of the 50 million users of the social network had a price attached to them, based on the site’s next worth, each would be worth approximately US$306.12.

SO IF YOU ARE A FACEBOOK MEMBER YOU ARE WORTH OVER US$300.00!

The move grants Microsoft some special benefits. Microsoft gains exclusive rights to sell Facebook advertising. Facebook’s advertising reaches an international market of millions, so this is very useful. Microsoft has already begun to sell ads on Facebook, as of yesterday. The deal will last until 2011.

Like any good partnership, there is plenty of sharing — the revenue from the advertisements will be split between Microsoft and Facebook.

Facebook certainly has its own perks, too — it gets a large cash infusion, which it can use to hire new developers and expand its resources. Facebook announced it plans to expand from its current 300 employees to nearly 700 within a year. It also gets assistance developing a robust advertising system.

The move is definitely a win-win for both parties. Kevin Johnson, president of Microsoft’s Platforms & Services division discussed the excitement about the new pairing:

The opportunity to further collaborate as advertising partners is a big reason we have decided to take an equity stake, and is a strong statement of our confidence in the long-term economics of this partnership. We’re very pleased with the scope and depth of our partnership. It’s a big industry. The equity stake we’re taking is a strong statement of confidence about this partnership. Just sit back and watch how this partnership develops. There’s a lot we’re going to do together.

Facebook was considered one of the most attractive software companies due to its torrid growth. The network has been doubling its user base every six months. Its growth has dramatically outpaced its chief rival in online social networking, Myspace.com.

Mark Zuckerburg, the creator of the network, and its CEO, often draws comparisons to Bill Gates. He also has been the target of some recent suits from former classmates who claim he stole their idea (which may perhaps further increase comparisons to Gates).

Microsoft is not Facebook’s only new interest, though. Facebook has just entered in a partnership with Blackberry to make “Faceberry” phones … Blackberry phones preloaded with Facebook access and functionality. Facebook’s new software for the Blackberry will make use of its push email system to access user’s accounts. Users will even be able to take pictures and create tags for them.

Facebook also recently announced grants of up to $250,000 for software developers who can present new ideas for Facebook applications.

The future is certainly looking bright for Facebook. With its new partnership with Microsoft, the world’s largest tech partnership, an exciting world of possibilities opens up to the network and its users.

Source: DailyTech

Microsoft fights iPhone with new WM 6.1

Microsoft is expected to mark its fightback against Apple’s fast-selling iPhone with the release of a new version of its operating system for mobile phones. Analysts believe the group will unveil a new more consumer-friendly version - 6.1 - of Windows for Mobile, the operating system that powers many mobile phone enabling subscribers to use popular Microsoft applications on the move. It has been speculated that the new version would have a carousel-like menu system that would enable one-click access to popular functions.

The Microsoft system which launched in 2001, has proved a success in North America. However it has done less well elsewhere. Rival internet giants like Apple are putting increased pressure on Microsoft in the mobile sector.

The iPhone, which has already been snapped-up by more than 1 million Americans, is being marketed in large part on its aesthetic appeal and ease of use.

Google is also believed to be preparing to launch its own operating system for mobile phones, aimed at helping it to grab a chunk of the mobile advertising market.

Research by Informa Telecoms and Media forecasts that the market for advertising on mobile phones is set to be worth more than $11.3 billion a year in 2011.

In my opinion, Microsoft is too far behind to catch up with the iPhone. Their Zune is not up to mark to the iPod too! Eventhough I don’t have an iPhone, I still expect my PDA phone to behave like an iPhone. And I believe I am not alone here. For the first time, one company has disrupted the entire (mobile) market. The fact that you and I are talking about the iPhone, (including everyone in the mobile industry who is talking about the iPhone) shows the power of the iPhone. It’s only version 1.0 and it’s an AWESOME 1.0 !

Hard Drive Players:

ZUNE 30 GB tops* Amazon’s bestsellers list

Harvey Chute of Zunerama reported:

“An interesting phenomenon is taking place… as a result of the Zune team’s announcement this week, sales of the Zune 30GB player are rising sharply, according to Amazon’s list of best-selling hard drive players list.

The white Zune is currently the #1 hard drive player on Amazon, the black Zune 30 is #3, and brown Zune 30 is #5. I don’t recall Zune ever dominating that list to that degree.

Evidently the lowered prices combined with the prospect of November’s firmware upgrade, are spurring sales.

*Note: the Amazon list is, for mysterious reasons, not including Apple’s newer hard drive models. “

THE ZUNE CHIT CHAT :

Harvey Chute: “I just got off the phone with the Microsoft Zune team, including James Boldman (Zune release manager), Terry Ferrell (senior product manager for the Zune marketing team), Tyler Welch (Zune MVP coordinator), Cesar (ZuneInsider), and Hillary (a rep from Edelman).

Joining me on the call were fellow bloggers and Zune MVPs Stefan (IWAPZ), Drea (GenerationZune.net), Paul (ZuneLuv), Jason (ZuneThoughts), and Grahm (AnythingButIPod).”