Tag Archive for Business

| January 26, 2011
Comments Off on Google Founder Sets Sail on Senses

Google Founder Sets Sail on Senses

Google Founder Sets Sail on SensesGoogle co-founder, Larry Page has bought a $45 million yacht. The New Zealand Herald reports that Mr. Page bought the 193-foot superyacht Senses from the New Zealand millionaire Douglas Myers for $45 million. The boat is equipped with twin 1600 HP Deutz diesel engines with a maximum speed of 15 knots, a cruising speed of 11 knots, and a range of 6,500 nautical miles.

Larry Page $45 million 193-foot super yacht Senses

The Business Insider says the 37-year-old Google billionaire’s new toy includes:

  • Larry Page $45 million 193-foot super yacht SensesInteriors finished by French designer Philippe Starck
  • Two dining rooms, one inside and one outside
  • A gym
  • On-deck jacuzzi
  • Accommodations for 24 people (10 guests and 14 crew)
  • Helipad
  • and a small flotilla of pleasure crafts

Mr. Page’s new boat is a toy among the tech elite’s boats.  Oracle’s Larry Ellison‘s boat ‘Rising Sun’ is 454-ft long, and Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen‘s ‘Octopus’ comes in at 415-ft in length (which may explain why Allen is suing most of the tech world – which I wrote about here).

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Larry Page $45 million 193-foot super yacht SensesIs this Larry Page’s reward to himself now that Eric “Mr. Creepy” Schmidt is out and Mr. Page is the CEO of Google? Is this a case of Mr. Page looking to one-up or hide from the hype Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, Time Magazine’s Man of the Year who also has an eagerly anticipated initial public offering and a  movie loosely based on his life?

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Ralph Bach has been in IT long enough to know better and has blogged from his Bach Seat about IT, careers, and anything else that catches his attention since 2005. You can follow him on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Email the Bach Seat here.

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| January 8, 2011
Comments Off on Paul Allen Internet Tax Collector

Paul Allen Internet Tax Collector

patents trollMicrosoft co-founder Paul Allen has reloaded in his attempt to sue the world for patent infringement. Allen’s Interval Licensing filed an amended patent infringement suit against most of the leading online tech companies. The first try (which I wrote about here) was tossed out by the judge because it failed to point out exactly how each firm stole Allen’s ideas.

Microsoft co-founder Paul AllenInterval’s amended, 35-page filing (PDF) claims that Apple (AAPL), Google (GOOG), Facebook, and eight other online companies use Allen’s patents whenever they use a browser for navigating through information, managing a user’s peripheral attention while using a device, and alerting users to items of current interest. The filing claims that features as Apple’s Dashboard software, the notifications interface in Google’s Android operating system, and Netflix’s (NFLX) viewing suggestions are infringing on Interval patents. It asks for unspecified damages from those companies as well as an injunction on them shipping any products with allegedly infringing features.

It looks like Google’s Android operating system is directly targeted by the lawsuit including its notification system for texts, Google Voice messages, e-mails, and other alerts display information “to a user of a mobile device in an unobtrusive manner that occupies the peripheral attention of the user.” As before, the suit doesn’t target Microsoft (MSFT) or Amazon (AMZN) (which pays rent to Allen’s Vulcan Real Estate), even though both company’s products would seem to infringe on the same patents.

Rob Pegoraro at the Washington Post writes:

the Interval claims continue to be insultingly generic. For instance, an allegation that AOL and Gmail’s spam-filtering software infringes on an Interval patent because it is “based at least in part on a comparison between the new email and other emails that have been received.” (Sure: Like nobody ever thought to make such a statistical comparison until Interval came along.) Later, it contends that when Netflix “generates a display of related content items” after “a user views a particular content item,” that infringes on an Interval patent too. (Right, because the concept of a store or a catalog suggesting a related item to a shopper didn’t exist until Interval scientists had a brainstorming session.)

Mr. Pegoraro continues:

Interval’s patents are junk. They describe general concepts that should have been obvious to anybody of ordinary skill in this field in the mid 1990s–and for which it shouldn’t be difficult to find “prior art” showing that other people had thought of the same thing years before. Had the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office provided the “high quality” examination of patent applications it promises, it’s hard to see how these patents would have been granted in the first place.

Mr. Pegoraro also cites PaidContent.org’s Joe Mullin in a commentary (emphasis in the original):

If patent claims on such basic ideas are found to be valid, there are surely hundreds of other potential defendants that could be sued by Interval Licensing. Paul Allen would be essentially a tax collector for the internet.

The firms named in the suit are:

Do you believe the U.S. Patent Office is still useful?

Does Paul Allen deserve to collect a tax from every Internet user?

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Ralph Bach has been in IT long enough to know better and has blogged from his Bach Seat about IT, careers, and anything else that catches his attention since 2005. You can follow him on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Email the Bach Seat here.

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| November 16, 2010
Comments Off on Who’s Suing Whom in the Telecom World?

Who’s Suing Whom in the Telecom World?

Who's Suing Whom in the Telecom World?

Information is Beautiful has a great infographic showing who is suing who and the current state of telecommunications lawsuits. David McCandless at Information is Beautiful includes snippets of each lawsuit, which is helpful for understanding the overall picture. The diagram differentiates between ongoing and finished lawsuits with different arrows, while the size of the cubes represents the various company’s estimated revenue. In addition, if a company’s cube is red, it means its revenue is decreasing, while gray cubes represent companies with increasing revenues.

Who's Suing Whom?

The involved include a who’s who of the telecom industry:

  • Apple
  • Elan
  • Hitachi
  • HTC
  • Kodak
  • Microsoft
  • Motorola
  • Nokia
  • RIM
  • Samsung
  • Sharp
  • Sony Ericsson
  • Qualcomm

 

Ralph Bach has been in IT long enough to know better and has blogged from his Bach Seat about IT, careers, and anything else that catches his attention since 2005. You can follow him on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Email the Bach Seat here.

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| October 22, 2010
Comments Off on Intel to Invest In America

Intel to Invest In America

Intel to Invest In AmericaThis week, Intel (NASDAQ: INTC) announced it will invest In America. Chipzilla will invest between $6 billion and $8 billion in American-based manufacturing facilities. Dailywireless says this investment in America will fund the deployment of Intel’s next-generation 22 nanometers (nm) manufacturing process across several existing U.S. factories and building a new development fabrication plant in Oregon. The Oregon factory should be ready in 2013 and will primarily produce chips for research and development as Intel advances its designs.

In an era when politicians and Wall Street refuse to invest in America, Intel has shown its leadership. “This is probably the largest private investment during this last two or three years in this country,” proclaimed Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski. The projects will support 6,000 to 8,000 construction jobs and result in 800 to 1,000 new permanent high-tech jobs according to media reports.

Highlights

  • Intel will invest in America with $6-8 billion in manufacturing to support future technology advancements in Arizona and Oregon.
  • The investment will create 6,000-8,000 construction jobs and 800-1,000 permanent high-tech jobs, and allows Intel to maintain its current manufacturing employment base in the U.S.
  • The investment will fund a new development fab in Oregon, as well as upgrades to four existing U.S. fabs (Fab 12 and Fab 32 in Arizona and D1C and D1D in Oregon) to manufacture the next-generation 22-nm process technology.
  • Intel’s next-generation, 22 nm microprocessors will enable sleeker device designs, higher performance, and longer battery life at lower costs.

Intel’s upcoming 32-nanometer “Sandy Bridge” Core architecture got much of the attention at the company’s developer show last month. Sandy Bridge chips, built using 32 nm architecture, will be out early in 2011. Ivy Bridge is the codename given to the 22 nm die shrink of Sandy Bridge.

The “tick” (new architecture) of 32 nm Sandy Bridge, available in January 2011, will be followed by the “tock” (22 nm shrink) of Ivy Bridge in January 2012. The new D1X plant may be built with the 15 nm process in mind since that process would likely be mainstreamed just 12 months after D1X begins production.

Moving to 22-nanometer could also help the company produce chips with lower power consumption to better compete in smartphones—where designs from ARM currently dominate. Intel launched the Atom platform two years ago. Now executives are looking to aggressively expand the reach of the Atom chips, into tablets, handheld devices, and phones.

Intel Technology Outlook

Intel is also building its first production facility in China, reports Bloomberg. Intel is vying with Samsung Electronics to be the industry’s biggest spender on plants and equipment in 2010. Intel’s microprocessors run more than 80 percent of the world’s personal computers. Rival Samsung is the biggest maker of memory chips.

 

Ralph Bach has been in IT long enough to know better and has blogged from his Bach Seat about IT, careers, and anything else that catches his attention since 2005. You can follow him on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Email the Bach Seat here.

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| September 24, 2010
Comments Off on Hourglass Syndrome

Hourglass Syndrome

Hourglass SyndromeA July 2010 technology online study conducted by Harris Interactive (NASDAQ: HPOL) and sponsored by Intel Corporation (NASDAQ: INTC), reveals that eight out of 10 (80%) U.S. adults get frustrated waiting for technology, and over half (51%) have done something out of character when frustrated while waiting for technology. Intel calls this the “Hourglass Syndrome.”

Intel logoIntel says that of those who suffer from the hourglass syndrome:

  • 69% admitted acting inappropriately while waiting.
  • 62% of U.S. adults admit to yelling or cursing out loud when their technology can’t keep up with them.
  • 29% hit their computer mouse.
  • 24%  bang on their computer screen and keyboard, hopefully not to the extent as the guy in the video.

The integral role technology plays in everyday life causes the hourglass syndrome phenomenon says the chipmaker. Intel marketing experts say the “malady” has developed with the modern pace of life. In an environment where mobile devices are constantly on to answer emails within minutes of receiving them, people feel anger and frustration when outdated technology fails to keep up with the speed of life.

Margaret (Margie) Morris, a clinical psychologist and health technology researcher at Intel, states in the Intel press release;”We are closely connected with our devices  … They become extensions of ourselves and become critically involved in our relationships with others, how we express ourselves, and our efforts to manage stress. We enjoy the freedom to communicate and work from anywhere, so we rely on the technology to work. When it lets us down, the disappointment runs high and sometimes spills over into our feelings about ourselves.”

Of those who have acted or seen someone act inappropriately in public due to frustrations with technology:

  • 70% saw strangers.
  • 46% have seen family or friends.
  • 33% have seen co-workers act out in frustration while waiting for technology.

According to the online survey taken between July 27-29, 2010 sluggish technology often causes people to miss out on something while they are waiting. 35% of U.S. adults said that they missed out on something while waiting for technology, such as losing an opportunity to take part in an online sale (13%) or buy airline, concert, or sporting event tickets. “Intel understands how stressful technology can be,” said Karen Regis, Director of Intel’s Consumer PC Marketing in the press release. “We are determined to design products that can improve the quality of your life and lower your stress levels, as opposed to increasing them.”

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Kudos to Intel for the imaginative use of pseudo-science to wrap a marketing message for Intel Turbo Boost Technology in a factoid.  GigaOm points out that Intel, “helpfully notes that Hourglass Syndrome “is not a real syndrome or medical condition.”

 

Ralph Bach has been in IT long enough to know better and has blogged from his Bach Seat about IT, careers, and anything else that catches his attention since 2005. You can follow him on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Email the Bach Seat here.

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