Kota and Pleo Robotic Toys revving up for Christmas

Ok, I know that most of you may not have heard of Pleo and Kota so we’ll give you a quick update. These are two robotic two that made their respective manufacturers some pretty tidy sums of cash during the 2008 Christmas period. Aimed primarily at kids (aren’t we all big kids at heart?) these interactive robots have been built to ‘learn’ - Pleo Dinosaur even goes through a birthing stage - but there are two major differences: size and price.

Kota Triceratops is a ride on toy. At a guess, most of the cynical readers will be saying “they’re extinct, leave ‘em that way” - agreed - but you have to remember that these robotic toys are aimed at children. Pleo is pretty much the same at Kota in that the toy has been designed to interact with human commands and is touch sensitive but don’t go getting ideas about this, it’s strictly good, harmless fun!

Ok, pricing. Prepare for bulging eyes. These robotic toys are by no means cheap; on average Pleo will set you back about £190 and Kota, being bigger and larger, weighs in at around £250+! Don’t hold me to those figures; there are plenty of deals and price comparison sites out there that will save you a bundle on your Christmas prezzie list.

To see these Pleo and Kota Triceratops being touted as big sellers in the run up to Christmas is pretty surprising, especially when you consider the fairly recent news that Pleo really was extinct. It looks like this plucky little Casmasaur has been brought from the dead. With less than 4 months to go before we get into the full swing of Christmas festivities anyone with children can expect to be bombarded with adverts and cries of “I want Santa to bring me one of those” - an ideal opporunity to convince them that Father Christmas with only bring them a Kota/Pleo (your choice) if they keep their rooms tidy!

Popularity: 33% [?]

Yahoo the social network?

Yahoo has made a declaration that their day of search aren’t over…well, not just yet. Although Yahoo seems intent on delving even further into social networking (more on that in a minute) they’re still producing extras to entice more users to use their search engine such as a new results page lets searchers connect directly to the Web content they want without leaving Yahoo’s results page. If this proves popular, we would expect to the feature included in the merged Bing/Yahoo Search engine recently agreed.

Ok, so search is pretty much old hat for Yahoo. Where to next? Looking at anniouncements coming out of Sunnyvale, California suggest that Yahoo can see huge potential in the social networking arena. Popular Yahoo products such as Mail and Messenger will be getting a number of ’social extensions’ that allow users to update their status, share photos with friends, and make video calls. Like FaceBook, I guess.

Yahoo’s chief aim is to turn core products, such as Yahoo Mail, into a social hub that a) pulls in more users, b) keeps currrent users C) provides a larger base for advertisers to target (my words, not Yahoo’s!). Again, much like FB! Yahoo will be providing subscribers with the ability to update information about themselves and then post those updates to their social profiles on other websites.

Ok, by comparing Yahoo’s efforts to FB I may be being a little unfair. Regardless of how you look at it, Yahoo Mail is the leading email service in the world which gives them a pretty good head of steam as the drive forward into the world of social networking. But the question is; “Where do Yahoo want to go with this?” In my opinion, there’s little chance of them making serious headway in the social sector of the web - the likes of FaceBook and MySpace have that pretty well wrapped up. If I were running things at Yahoo I’d definitely be eyeing up the potential to grab a slice of the market by allowing the users to post updated profile info via their Yahoo account. Features like this will allow Yahoo to keep users on their site for longer which provides more potential to hammer home those adverts! By providing hooks into other websites Yahoo can remain firmly outside the ring that is hosting the current bout between social networking heavyweights. Illogical? Not really. Consider this: everything we see on the web is basically a phase - companies rise, companies fall. Take Google as the prime example. I have absolutely no doubt that the search giant will still be here in 10 years time but other contenders are likely to nibbled away at the market share. I know lovers of the mighty G might be cursing me but nothing lasts forever.

So, by taking a slice of the pie Yahoo seem to be positioning themselves as a one stop shop for everything i.e. traditional Yahoo services with some funky social addons that will no doubt pull in many interested users. More subscribers = more moolah! Sorry, let me rephrase that: Yahoo wants to provide a social outlet for existing Yahoo users who don’t use Twitter, MySpace..etc, etc!

Popularity: 47% [?]

Microsoft smells the coffee

At long last, Microsoft has admitted that they really do have competition in the client business. In their annual filing to the US SEC, they named Linux vendors Red Hat and Canonical as direct competitors to their desktop business. Most of us have known for some time now but it’s the first official acknowledgement from the Redmond giant. The key growth area for Linux has been in the netbook market where manufacturers have been installing Linux as a means of keeping prices low.

“Netbooks opened Microsoft to the possibility that some other OS could get its grip on the desktop, however briefly,” said Rob Helm, director of research for Directions on Microsoft. “Now it’s alert to that possibility going forward.”

Prior to this announcement, Microsoft had only ever mentioned having competition from Red Hat in their Server and Tools departments. The filing also mentioned MS’s OEM partners, Hewlett-Packard and Intel’s, growing support for Linux on the PC.

To some readers this admission may not seem like a big thing, after all, Linux has been happily powering a large number of server platforms for some time now and PCs came with Windows desktop as standard. The growth of netbooks as a replacement for full sized laptops has made the difference - early models did not have the specs required to run Vista so manufacturers turned to Linux (free to download and install). At a guess, I’d say that MS would like the whole netbook thing to just disappear so that they can start targetting lightweight laptops — No chance! The reason? Microsoft simply doesn’t make enough profit from the installation of Windows on ultra-mobile PCs.

None of this is really good news for Microsoft, especially when you consider the recent announcement of the Google Chrome OS but things might be as bad as they look. Windows Vista may be too resource intensive for install on a netbook but their latest OS, Windows 7, will feature a Starter Edition that has been designed to replace XP in the netbook sector.

Popularity: 82% [?]

Microsoft revenue dips, Apple gaining ground

It doesn’t look like Microsoft is having a good time right now; their last quarterly financial results show a shortfall of about $1 compared to projections and a year-over-year decline of 17%! Before you start to write the MS obituary, remember that they are still a highly profitable company with a lot of cash tucked away in the bank and a huge user base. However, Redmond has never experienced year-over-year declines like this before, so what’s going on?

As you’d expect, executives are blaming the economy: home users are short of cash and companies are sticking with what they’ve got; after all, it works! Given the current climate it would be easy to accept that answer, however…Google is doing well , albeit after a few dips in share price, as is Apple. In fact, Apples share of the high end computer market is growing which means the money to buy high spec computers is out there but it’s not being channelled in the Microsoft directions! This point becomes even more interesting when you realise that although Apple sells to the mid to high end market, historically, they have never held the majority stake.

Windows is at the core of everything Microsoft does that makes money. They sell Windows, then they sell software that runs on Windows. As Windows goes, so goes Microsoft, and right now Windows is heading south.

The Windows OS seems to be losing ground at a rapid pace. Now, many will say ’so what?’ but the key here is that Microsoft builds applications that work on MS platfroms i.e Windows XP - lose the platform and you lose the installation base for your apps!

Many analysts are citing Vista as one of the main sources of Microsoft’s woes: expensive bloatware that needs a pretty high spec just to run (then there was the whole shambles around Vista certified hardware only being able to run Home Basic!). How many Windows users have you met that absolutely love Vista? Sure, Windows 7 looks good and runs well on moderately spec’d hardware but it may be a case of too little too late.

Then there’s Google. The announcement of the Google Chrome OS may, or may not, have sent shivers throught Redmond. Personally, I think that MS aren’t too bothered about Googles OS - at the end of the day Chrome will probably be designed around gathering even more information about your browsing habits so that the big G can send you even more relevant ads! Equally, Google are probably eyeing the announcement of the MS/Yahoo deal with an interested eye. The effective merger makes MicroHoo the second biggest search engine with about 28% of the market.

As I seee it, the major problem for Microsoft is diversification - too much, too soon. The release of the Vista memory hog didn’t help either. Right now, it’s time to get back to basics and deliver something that works, and works well. Once you re-capture the majority share you start to spred the tendrils.

Then again, I could be wrong. Microsoft may not have any plans for the future release of OSes - after all, they seem to be putting a lot of money into SaaS (just like Google). It’s food for thought….

Popularity: 81% [?]

It’s got $80 million dollars of marketing behind and even Steve Wozniak is impressed!

But don’t expect this to be the great ‘Google killer’ that everyone expected after Ballmer allegedly said he’d fu** Google!

Microsoft is attempting to “break down the way we view generic search” which probably means they’d like us to start searching rather than ‘Googling’ information!

Bing works by organising your search results into categories. For example, when you search for “MP’s expenses” and you get…a proxy error! Ok, there seem to be a few problems - not sure if they’re are from my ISP or Bing! What you should see if the information listed in categories on the left hand side of the returned results i.e Images (an MP eating a huge steak lunch, fully expensed of course), Facts (allegedly, most MP’s are in some or another dodgey), Videos (MP’s paying off ladies of the night and claiming on expenses)…you get the idea!

The technology behind Bing isn’t new; the so called vertical search tools have been around for a while now with one of the most notable implementations being Newssift.

So is this really going to “fu** Google”? Not likely. The layout is nice but the whole search engine jousting arena is about relevancy and right now it’s pretty hard to beat Google.

Before I go, even Steve Wozniak is impressed: “I don’t normally come to these business presentations and all that, but I thought it was one of the most astounding software demos I’ve ever seen,” Wozniak said. “It was so well thought out, the algorithms, the intelligence of it, really impressed me.” Wozniak assumes the role of Microsofts Director of Marketing position next Monday….(I am joking, so put your C&D’s away).

Popularity: 33% [?]

Strafing the supermarket from 10,000 feet!

Ever wished you could fly to the shops? What about jumping over that traffic jam that’s held you 400m away from your motorway exit for the past hour? Maybe, just maybe, you’ll soon be able to soar high in the Moller M400 Skycar.

Ok, I’ve taken the fantasy a little too far; the Moller M4 isn’t a car that converts into a plane at the flick of switch so you won’t be seeing cars lifting off from the motorways anytime soon.

* the 300mph flying car

The M400 is the brainchild of Canadian-born inventor Paul Moller and it basically the equivalent of an airborne supercar - the Supercar with wings that cruises at 300 mph. And at 20 mpg it’s certainly more economical than some its earth bound brethren.

The Moller M400 is powered by eight, tiny Wankel rotary engines, each cranking out 150 hp. The engines are hidden away inside pods that can rotate to give the M400 VTOL just like the Harrier Jumpjet…the ideal opportunity to imagine yourself as Maverick, Danger Zone blasting out whilst you manouevre your airborne VW Beetle in attack formation. Sweet.

There is a major sticking point - the authorities. Before the M400 gets the green light, Moller needs to convince them that this isn’t going to create a motorway pile-up in the sky. If he’s successful we could soon be seeing the (low level) skies filled with M400’s.

Popularity: 54% [?]

Screaming along at 1Gb/sec throughput…gimme, gimme, gimme.

Sadly, these new SSD’s from Mircron Technology Inc. will be aimed at the high end market and won’t be available for some time yet (”within the next year” is the best estimate we have so far). Note; high end normally means ‘expensive’ but when you selling a device that has a throughput speed four times faster than Intel’s newest SSD, the X25-E, you can afford charge through the nose.

Joe Jeddeloh, director of the vendor’s Advanced Storage Technology Center demonstrated the technology in a video where a readout showed the SSD throughput reaching 800MB/sec. The SDD card was connected to a PCI Express slot which bypasses the SATA/SAS interfaces that are normally be used effectively limiting it to 3Gbit/sec. throughput.

Micron has stated that they are already testing the new technology with a select group but are currently looking for more testers.

According to Micron, these new SSD’s use “multiple channels” and have builtin interleaving 64 NAND chips to achieve its high throughput.

Don’t expect to see this tech in your laptop anytime soon; the initial target is, for example, high end apps that run fibre chacnnel SAN’s i.e. transactional DB’s.

Popularity: 54% [?]

…17 complaints! That’s right, 17 outraged viewers complained after seeing an iPhone 3G advert that suggested web pages would load in a split second. The Apple advert stated

“So what’s so great about 3G? It’s what helps you get the news, really fast. Find your way, really fast. And download pretty much anything, really fast. The new iPhone 3G. The internet, you guessed it, really fast.”

but they did add a disclaimer at the end of the advert that stated “Network performance may vary by location”. Isn’t that enough? Now I can be very cynical when want to be but this just smacks of bloody minded individuals (or G1 fanboys) needing something to moan about. If their home broadband is a touch under 8Mb do they cancel their contract? I don’t think so.

I’ve seen the ad and I know the page loading images can be deceptive but there’s a disclaimer at the bottom of the advert - can these people not read?

The ASS ASA (Advertising Standards Agency) have ruled that the advert is not to appear again in its current form.

Where’s my rose-tinted glasses?

Popularity: 52% [?]

The final judgement in the SCO vs Novell case is out - the wise amongst you will start selling your shares now!  The bottom line is that SCO owes Novell millions plus quite a lot of interest.

The decision, handed down by Federal district judge Kimball, dismisses SCO’s latest claims, grants declaratory relief to Novell, and sustains the court’s previous judgment that SCO owes Novell over $2.54 million (plus interest) for unjust enrichment. Another analogy could be one of strapping a firework to your ar*e but in this case SCO got the Russian Soyuz shoved right where the sun…you know the rest.

Until this decision the SCO/Novell spat had been running for about five years now with SCO originally claiming that it owned the UNIX SVRX copyrights and that incontrovertible evidence had been uncovered that the open source Linux kernel was written using a significant amount of code that was misappropriated from SVRX. Sadly for SCO, the audits of Linux source code uncovered nothing that could be conceived as copyright infringement. Novell has been delcared as the rightful owner of the SVRX copyrights.

SCO usage the threat of legal action to force cash from companies that used Linux until Novell took SCO’s claims to court in a case which Novell won forcing SCO into bankruptcy.

SCO has been ordered to pay Novell $2,547,817 plus another $918,122 in prejudgment interest and $489 per day from August 29 until November 20. Now, with SCO is in the middle of bankruptcy proceedings it’s not likely that they’ll be able to find the money to pay anytime soon - what an excellent oppurtunity for Novell to acquire SCO.

Stepping into the land of the delusional; SCO’s head honcho, Darl McBride, would appear to still be adamant that Linux was built on stolen UNIX code! “There, there Darl…just rest your head on the pillow and when you wake there’ll be a few mill under the pillow courtesy of the UNIX fairies”!

Popularity: 50% [?]

Sun, the UNIX giant has announced a round of what is termed in the industry as ‘restructuring’ - basically, it means lots of people will lose their jobs. In fact, 3,000 people are being made redundant!

The announcement comes following a 7 percent drop in first-quarter revenue last month. It may not seem like a big number but when you considering the billions Sun turns over in revenue it equals an awful lot of pay packets.

The restructuring will see between 15 percent and 18 percent of Suns global workforce being laid off - including Rich Green, executive VP of software.

Sun’s restructuring will result in a charge of between $500 million and $600 million over the next 12 months, with about $375 million to $450 million coming in the current 2009 fiscal year.

The company said it should start seeing cost savings in the third quarter of the current fiscal year. Sun expects the restructuring to save it between $700 million and $800 million annually. I wonder how much of that cash will be eaten up in the first year by redundancy payoffs?

Sun is also planning to realign its software organization into new business groups: Application Platform Software, Systems Platforms, and Cloud Computing & Developer Platforms, with a focus on “boosting open-source momentum and growing new sectors of the market who view technology as a competitive weapon.”

Popularity: 50% [?]