Is Microsoft readying for a surprise comeback?

Microsoft is on a roll: Its newly launched Windows Phone 7 is gaining momentum, and Kinect, its motion controller response to the Wii, could very well sell out before the end of the year. If there was ever a time for Microsoft to get back on its feet and stand shoulder to shoulder with Apple and Google, this would be it.

This positive buzz comes at a time when Microsoft sorely needs it. Microsoft’s major … Continue Reading

Should you buy Google TV or wait for the new Apple TV to launch?

There’s little doubt that TV and the internet world will eventually merge, and Google and Apple are both making efforts in that direction. Devices based on Google TV are launching this fall, and Apple is expected to launch a new, stronger version of its Apple TV (now dubbed iTV) sometime next year.

It’s yet to be seen whether Google TV or iTV will succeed where others such as WebTV (now called MSN TV) have struggled, … Continue Reading

Will Microsoft come back strong with the Windows Phone?

Many pundits have written Microsoft off in the mobile platform wars, but based on what I heard during a Windows Phone 7 session at VentureBeat’s MobileBeat 2010 conference in San Francisco at the beginning of the week, I am here to tell you that Windows Phone looks promising.

First and most importantly, Microsoft has learned lessons from its Windows Mobile strategy. In allowing several device makers to develop devices for Windows Mobile, it made the … Continue Reading

MobileBeat: Will Android beat iPhone in mobile gaming?

While Android’s user base is expected to surpass the iPhone’s, many passionate gamers would tell you that the gaming experience on the iPhone is far better than on Android – primarily because of the buttonless form factor of iPhone, but also because of the superior iPhone graphics. But a panel on mobile gaming at VentureBeat’s MobileBeat 2010 conference today said that’s not the case.

The panel participants all vehemently supported Android over iPhone, although largely … Continue Reading

MobileBeat: Location-based checkins could soon be automatic

Keith Lee, CEO of location-based game service Booyah (pictured) said that manual check-ins to location-based services could be on their way out, to be replaced by automated check-ins. His comments came on a panel at VentureBeat’s MobileBeat conference today.

While checkins may provide an interesting way to announce a user’s location, location-based applications and services could be more useful if checkins are performed automatically and users are offered interesting services such as discount coupons based … Continue Reading

MobileBeat: Android users will surpass iPhone users by end of 2010

Android users will surpass iPhone users by the end of 2010, according to statistics collected by Google’s Admob ad network, said Admob Team Manager Brendon Kraham. This is despite the fact that the data usage and number of apps on iPhone (and iPod Touch) far exceed those on Android. How can it be then that Android would surpass iPhone?

Leaving aside the two platforms’ comparative strengths and weaknesses, Android would win primarily because of the … Continue Reading

Is Apple readying for a rematch with Microsoft in personal computing?

Pundits are declaring mobile the new PC. The number of mobile phones far outstrips the number of desktops. Mobile phones are available to people in the developing world who never had an opportunity to buy or even use a PC. With phones becoming smarter, there will be even less need for people to own PCs. Microsoft has dominated the PC-based world ever since it drove Apple close to extinction in the mid ’90s. But with … Continue Reading

Why Palm's headed for a buyout — by RIM

Palm was king of the handheld screen when it launched its popular Palm Pilot handheld device back in the 1990s. But it’s since been almost forgotten in a flurry of competitors vying for a slice of the smartphone market. And when it recently tried to launch a phone and underlying operating system that rivaled Apple’s iPhone in elegance and ambition, the phones failed to sell. Given its recent earnings and desperate cash position, it’s clear … Continue Reading

Four ways to make money "selling" free mobile apps

The mobile app market is heating up, both for paid and free apps. And we’re seeing numerous app developers and content publishers jumping into the market every day looking to make money on this opportunity. If you can get consumers to pay for your app, great. But with all the free apps already available for smartphones and tablet devices such as Apple’s upcoming iPad, many newcomer apps will likely have to be free, too, in … Continue Reading

Google Buzz flies high, but won't kill Twitter or Facebook

With Google Buzz, Google has launched yet another product to compete in the social networking arena. It’s just one week new, and already Buzz has a significant user base and poses a viable threat to several existing players.

Google, like Microsoft, keeps trying. In the social networking space, it has made several attempts to become more relevant: Orkut, though fairly popular in Brazil and India, never really took off in the US and became more … Continue Reading

Why iPad will sell despite "missing" features

Since Apple announced its forthcoming iPad tablet device last week, there’s been quite a bit of banter about its shortcomings. The device has no camera, no phone, no Flash support, and doesn’t allow multitasking, just to name a few of the issues.

But before you conclude Apple’s made a terrible mistake here, remember, this is exactly how it launched the iPod Touch.

Remember how the iPod Touch came without a camera or speakerphone? It seemed … Continue Reading

Pakistani startup lets mobile developers outsource customer support

Life as a mobile developer can be tough. First, you’re hoping and praying your app will get noticed among the thousands in Apple’s App Store. Then, if you’re lucky, you hit the jackpot — your app’s downloaded by 10,000 users. But your excitement lasts only until you start getting tons of customer complaints and you have no money to pay a customer support staff.

Now, if you could outsource that customer support when you need … Continue Reading

Will RIM's Blackberry Presenter make a dent in the iPhone's market share?

Research in Motion has announced that it is launching a mobile PowerPoint presenter, a device that completely does away with the need to carry around a laptop when you need to give a presentation with slides — consultants rejoice!

Able to store up to 100 presentations, the presenter only requires you to own a compatible Blackberry and have access to a projector. It’s like a Mac Mini dedicated just to the dreaded task of PowerPoint, … Continue Reading

2010's hottest contenders: 8 products to watch

Want to know which products are going to be making the biggest waves in 2010? Well, here are my picks for the hottest innovations to watch. A few of them such as Kayak have been playing in the small-time for a while but are expected to make a big push next year. Others such as iTunes TV are only rumors so far, but if true, will make big news. While Foursquare and Eventbrite are relatively … Continue Reading

How soon till mobile TV really gets going?

Mobile TV has analysts excited. ABI Research estimates that mobile TV will have 43 million subscribers by 2013, and research firm TeleAnalytics estimates 50 million mobile TV users in North America by the same year. But so far mobile TV has not nearly lived up to the hype. Qualcomm’s FLO TV, the technology used behind the current market leaders — AT&T’s Mobile TV and Verizon’s V Cast — still isn’t making money. For this holiday … Continue Reading

3 reasons TV is about to get a facelift

GigaOm’s NewTeeVee Live event, which explores the future of TV, took place in San Francisco today. Though there were a number of interesting demos and presentations, three really stood out as being most likely to shape how we watch TV in the immediate future.

The first of these was Boxee‘s announcement that it will be coming out with a dedicated Boxee box next month (which we covered briefly earlier today). Boxee is a software platform … Continue Reading

iTunes turned the music market on its head. Could iTunes TV do the same for TV?

Rumors surfaced this week that Apple is in the process of putting together a $30-a-month iTunes TV offering. This rumored iTunes TV is supposedly something altogether different from the currently available Apple TV.

Apple TV is a piece of hardware that makes it easy to watch media (video, audio, pictures) on your regular TV. iTunes TV, on the other hand, would be a software offering that would allow consumers to watch “channels” on a PC … Continue Reading

A review of location-based networks — and how they can grow faster

Location based social networking keeps getting tremendous hype, but the question is whether it will live up to its potential.

The buzz continued this week when Loopt, one of the earliest location-based social networks, announced the acquisition of GraffitiGEO. Loopt recommends places to go based on your location, and informs you of friends around you. Several industry observers have raved about the potential of location-based social networks for businesses and advertising. “Context awareness is critical … Continue Reading

AT&T okays VoIP apps, but that doesn't mean it's payday for Skype

AT&T announced yesterday that it will enable iPhone VoIP apps on its 3G wireless network. You’d think that’d be great news for VoiP companies, and market leader Skype in particular, and indeed, Skype CEO Josh Silverman rejoiced, asking for even more concessions. But dig a little deeper, and the picture isn’t quite so rosy.

The VoIP market has low barriers to entry and limited revenue-generating opportunities under the current business models, so it’s no surprise … Continue Reading

Which augmented reality startups will dominate? We rank them.

Augmented Reality — the ability to superimpose data and information over a view of the real world — is arguably hot these days, and there’s no scarcity of articles and blogs on the space and AR apps. VentureBeat first reviewed AR apps two months ago. As more time has passed I decided to take a deeper look at the technology, business models and utility behind the startups to separate hype from reality. To do so … Continue Reading