Digital Living

Eee Tablet: Coming Soon?

In not very distant future, Asus might come up with a tablet version of its "Eee PC".

If the Eee tablet form factor proven to be more convenient to use, and less power hungry for portable computing than Vista based UMPC, eventually customer in the market might find 3 computing alternatives that would suit their work and daily activities greatly:

• Mac for creatives and highlighy stylistic, detail, sophisticated work in full media.
• Linux based "UMPC" for write, browse and portability.
• Windows XP for practical wordprocessing, spreadsheeting, powerpointing and visio drawing, daily.

So where does Vista fits in? In the annal of the clunky power hungry product ever invented, may be?. We'll see how the future goes.

Last.fm Gets A Facelift

Last.fm gets a face lift. The new design makes it easier for last.fm user to manage their profile, access music that they have listened to, and to discover music libraries that other's create. Pretty fascinating concept.

In Memoriam: ALI SADIKIN

July 7, 1926 - May 20, 2008

"It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth". - Abraham Lincoln

Microsoft Shifts To The Cloud? May Be ... (But Not Under Mr. Ballmer Leadership!)

Cartoon by Tom Bower

As the cloud computing momentum increased, Microsoft seems to "acknowledge" that this "next internet initiatives" might bring future impact to its business. Nicholas Carr writes in more detail about in his blog.

With this shift happening, the days of "Microsoft customer chasing (or begging) Microsoft" for the mercy of Microsoft's license scheme might eventually over.

Today's arrogance that surrounding Microsoft camp might systematically be replaced with new attitude. As customer start to have alternatives to its Office offering, Microsoft sales people eventually would have to "reasonably learn how to beg their customer" for a piece of their business.

With cloud computing, Office will become a great commodity. Just like the PC that makes mainframe "lock-in" obsolete, cloud computing could make office "lock-in" obsolete. The power of choices soon will be back in the hand of the customers.

Because the product become a commodity, Office then will be only as good (and as competitive) in the  the market if it is being "offered" with great proposition and service. The kind of arrogant attitude and monolithic scheming and pricing that Microsoft sales people under Mr. Ballmer demonstrate today won't work.

Would these all mean that eventually we would see a "re-born" Microsoft?, a humbler Microsoft -- in the next future? Probably. Would this "re-born" Microsoft be a "humbler, friendlier, more open and more reasonable" Microsoft, the way it use to be when it was still a tiny software company? Could be.

Change, being able to become more open, and being able to timely adapt is probably the surest way for Microsoft to survive (and stay relevant) into the future. Across time, Microsoft has again and again prove that once it understood it need to change, usually it can adapt and act quickly to secure its relevance and survival.

Change might need to start from the top. The most worrying incompatible factor in all this is -- suprisingly -- Mr. Ballmer's arrogant attitude itself! As and when (and if) Mr. Ballmer is out, and probably as the next leadership is fall under the hand of Bill Gates once more, then Microsoft could be the "humble, respectable, strong, powerful, loveable" great company once more -- just the way it used to be.

Without such leadership-style change at the top, the future fate of this once great loveable very potential software company could be just a so-so. If not careful, they could become irrelevant -- sometime in the future.

People "hate" Microsoft for its arrogance and for its irrelevance these days. But deep in our heart, often we actually all still love Microsoft so much, because Microsoft was once a really great, loveable company that we all love and support.

We all -- the generation X, Y and Z -- were all born and grow with it. We were part of its evolution. In a way, we were the "market" that makes it grow fast and great too.

Change into humbler attitude is the only thing that probably Microsoft need today. If change can happen at the top leadership level (replacing the 'crazy, arrogant' leadership style that ruin Microsoft today), love of the market (and the whole industry that surrounds it) might be back, and Microsoft -- just like Apple when it come back under the returned leadership of Steve Jobs -- might become everybody's loveable icon once more, just the way they used to be, more than any company could ever imagine.

We look forward for that "humbler, friendlier, open, loveable" Microsoft once more. The world would be so much better when that happened.

As one of the commentator at Nick Carr's blog wrote:

"I can't wait for the day when a Microsoft salesperson phones and asks if I want to move into the cloud. I'd be willing to pay more".

As for Mr. Ballmer? Out may be the biggest contribution that Mr. Ballmer could contribute in this daring, major shift and transition period; to secure Microsoft's important future.

Here Comes XP ... On OLPC??!!! :-(

To many people, the OLPC (One Laptop Per Child) recent decision to adopt XP raise the question whether Mr. Negroponte -- who is (no doubt) knowingly great with ideas -- is also as strategically capable in executing and advancing his idea forward.

• Why on earth, we would need XP on OLPC? Couldn't Linux do the same?
• Does OLPC really need to compromise just because some government said they would prefer XP for their subsidized OLPC computing platform?
• What if OLPC just keep being only available in Linux? Wouldn't those governments eventually adopt it too as well, because of the benefit and advantages that Linux based OLPC offer?

Sometimes strategic business war is won because the general (who lead the battle front) is smart, capable, inspiring, strong in principle, persistent, discipline in executing its strategy and -- the most important -- know the "core essential essence" of the executed strategy itself: what makes it tick, and what makes it not, in business, in practice, and in the marketplace.The market vote with their heart. When they love the idea, they "vote" to support it. If they found the leader ambiguous or shaken, often the market flown through.

XP's place is definitely within those great older PCs (or within those recent pre-downgraded Vista PCs). What on earth does XP do inside the new OLPC??!! Such "compromise" lowers and dampen the fascinating beauty and the great excitement of the OLPC concept by itself! Many people that excitingly try to change the world (for the better) by supporting this idea, might have now flown off -- distracted (or sadly discouraged) by OLPC leader's lack of strength and commitment to walk through the difficult battle, and execute the key essence of the strategy -- no matter what.

Mr. Negroponte seems to already loose the battle before it even begin!

Vista Yoga & Vista Blues... !!!

If with XP we can have a minor "broken windows", with Vista we can have: a "broken heart". Take a look at the "parodic" video below. Interestingly, while the parody is funny, the statement and expressions that comes with it is NOT all that wrong. It reflects what Vista situation really is today.

Oh Vista, Vista. How sad ....

Perhaps it's about time Mr. Ballmer should step down (and Bill Gates shall be back).

Wall Computing Is "Coming Soon"...

A new exciting form factor for interaction design might emerge soon in the marketplace. It's called "surface computing" -- or if I would rather prefer to call it: "Wall Computing".

With "wall computing" the impact and potential of information and technology to surround, influence and enhance our interaction and everyday living would be even higher.

Imagine at anytime during the day we can turn our "wall" into a "screen" and can immediately talk, video chat, conference and interact each other through this "wall" with no hassle.

Being able to do such would be truly awesome.

You might say, but that's just like the "Web TV" thing that we talked about a few days back. You probably right. Yet now imagine what would happen if -- instead of just being able to "read, chat and interact" through this wall -- we could also writing on top of those "walls", and -- as we write on top -- the "wall" smartly, seamlessly and interactively send the data/image across?

Such would bring computing and interactivity design into a whole new package of "great experiences", in ways that we never seen (nor never experienced) before!

People would then be able to wake up everyday in their home, go to their wall to check their morning "journal" (on their wall), and immediately save, tag, comment, annotate, jot down and respond to that piece of news and information online, right through their "wall", right ON TOP of their "wall" !!!

When such "wall computing" capability happen, our digital world will reach its greatest potential. That's the time when the power of the web magnificently combined with the potential of the interaction device that we can leverage and use, everyday.

Through that our daily living and working chore would never be the same again. It will improve significantly so much, for the better.

I can not wait to see it happen ... (and/or to participate to make it happening too). :-)

Firefox 3 Release Candidate 1 Has Been Released!

Today Firefox 3 RC1 has been released. Despite there's still "add-on incompatibility" in this new version, many new useful and exciting browsing experience can already be felt.

The new version is fast, lean, simple, intuitive and easier to use! Once the add-on compatibility issue is resolved (or once the add-on upgrade themselves to become Firefox 3 compatible), the new browsing experience would be breathtaking.

Here's a peek of how the new browsing experience looks like:

and here's a peek of where the add-on problem remains:

   

How Google Looked Like When They Started...

This is how Google looked like, when they started (1998):

Even, prior to that, this is how they look like:

People say everything great starts from small, then grow eventually very fast. I totally agree.

Alot of great giant company that we saw today (Apple, Microsoft, Sony, Matshushita, Toyota, Honda, Ford, Xerox) ... were all initially have one thing in common: once they are all small tiny struggling innovative company, which later on invent and redefine the industry that they are focusing on.

The early days of Apple

The first Apple product - the "Apple I"

The early days of Microsoft

Microsoft whole employee photograph - 1978

The early days of Sony

Sony early factory & headquarters

Sony Employee (the whole company!)

Sony G Tape Recorder

Sony Tape Factory

Sony H Tape Recorder - for Home Use

Sony Transistor Factory

Sony Transistor Radio

Sony Pocketable Transistor Radio

Sony founders -- Akio Morita & Masaru Ibuka

When something start small and then grow, we see nothing else but beauty of their founders great, continuous, consistent, persistent, ingenious effort in building things to try to make it happen.

Their journey become a great story that inspire many more entrepreneurs and business builders to come.

This is how Google look today:

Awesome!!

Palm Centro Smartphone: Low End Alternative For Business Mobility?

While Palm positioned Palm Centro as the most affordable smartphone device to allow people to keep in touch through phone, text, email or web, it's potential seem to be beyond just for "fun" stuff.

Looking at the spec, this device seem to have tremendous potential to become the portable "mobile working device" that also -- at the same time -- is the most affordable too.

With a price that is reportedly could be as low as $99.99 (with 2 years data plan -- in the U.S), surely this device is a great bargain. Everybody can now get connected and work anytime anywhere, as long as network and wireless GSM GPRS/EDGE or CDMA 2000 connectivity is available.

Unfortunately it doesn't come with a Wifi (yet). But seems it got alot of great potential to be a superb great device someday in the future, especially if it can keep the simplicity (and intuitiveness) of its Palm OS, and if it can keep the responsive speedy feel of the application performance.

If Palm can also give its OS a modern skin appeal -- so this easy, stable, fast, responsive and simple to use OS and software platform doesn't look very tired, boring, and old, as how it looks today -- then its relevance and popularity might increase back even more. After all, beyond skin look and feel, people do  love speedy response, intuitive - easy to use - interface, workable keyboard, as well as very stable OS.

Let's take a look at the latest Palm screen, and feel again its directness, speed and simplicity that is still uniquely differentiate Palm from its competitor. Then later on let's imagine how would it all feel so great, if a modern skin interface can be applied on top of that!

If such "skin upgrade" can be done, I feel the whole usage and interaction experience would be wonderful and great.

We look forward for a greater future at the Palm camp. After all, they are the one that pioneer the "palm" and mobile computing industry.

If they can get their OS' skin improved to current modern age, and if they can get their device form factor to become as sleek as their "Palm V" once had been, I feel the future at Palm could be as wonderful and as great again as it used to be.

We will see how the future goes. I do really hope they would get their mojo back very very soon -- before everything becomes way way too late.