Category Archives: Twitter

Why is Microsoft buying Skype?

Steve Ballmer and Tony Bates explain, in a video-teleconference that took place late this morning. While this sounds cliché, the deal is about synergy around personal communications — for work and home — and the direct sales and potential advertising possibilities, particularly video.

Additionally, and this is something Ballmer only alludes to: Skype fits nicely into Microsoft’s three-screen strategy around the TV, smartphone and PC.

 

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As previously reported, Microsoft is spending $8.5 billion — all cash — to buy Skype from investment firm Silver Lake. When the deal closes, assuming regulatory approval, Skype will become a separate division of Microsoft.

The acquisition, which was unexpected, is groundbreaking for Microsoft and perhaps in some small way rectifies a past mistake. In early 2005, Microsoft passed on an opportunity to buy YouTube for $500 million. Google snatched up the video service for $1.6 billion in October of that year. Microsoft chose to build rather than to buy a video service, which later proved to be a huge mistake.

Now video is front and center again, but instead of impersonal content posted for the world to see, Microsoft is betting on intimacy — whether personal or professional communications. Sometimes you build and sometimes you buy, Ballmer, Microsoft’s CEO, says. Advertising will be one of Microsoft’s core objectives for monetizing Skype.

“We think advertising is a very powerful monetization stream for us,” says Bates, who is Skype’s CEO and will be president of the Microsoft Skype Business Division, when the deal completes later this year (timeframe given by both companies, again, subject to regulatory approval).

Microsoft device strategy

Microsoft and Skype had already been pursuing an advertising deal, which helped precipitate the acquisition. “We have even more to do together as a single company.” Ballmer says. He describes the offer to buy Skype as unsolicited. The companies agreed on the price in mid-April and signed the definitive agreement last night.

Microsoft is using overseas cash to make the purchase — and, yes, the $8.5 billion is all cash. Ballmer says this isn’t so unusual since Skype is based in Luxemburg.

“I’m excited about the Skype business,” Ballmer says. “Skype is a great business.”

Ballmer and Bates both emphasize Skype’s business potential, noting:

* 170 million connected users
* 600,000 new registrations per day
* 30 million average concurrent users
* 40 percent year-over-year EBITA growth
* 20 percent year-over-year revenue growth in 2010
* 45 percent compound annual growth rate for video ads
* 207 billion minutes of voice and video calls made during 2010

Both men emphasize the importance of video, with Bates boasting: “Video is in our DNA.” Video accounts for about 40 percent of calls now made using Skype, regardless of device. Again, video advertising will be a priority, with Skype already claiming to display 5 percent of U.S. video ads.

Bates describes Skype as an “engaged user base” — or what he calls “hundred-hundred club.” That’s 100 million users a month and 100 minutes average on Skype a month. Skype’s  priorities related to its users: core communications, subscription premium services and advertising.

Skype Trends

From Microsoft’s perspective, integration will be a top priority, as Skype functionality connects to Lync, Outlook and Xbox Live, initially, and also to Windows Live Hotmail and Messenger. Skype is better known as a consumer product, while Microsoft’s Lync is about business communications. Lync is “off to a fantastic start.” Ballmer says, with Lync revenue up 30 percent in fiscal third quarter. Skype will become part of that, he emphasizes.

The theme for Skype is similar to Office — providing tools bridging overlapping personal and professional lifestyles. Microsoft wants to offer “tools that help you communicate to everybody in your life,” Ballmer says “Skype joins quite naturally. It fits in with work and home.” Stated differently: “People do have one life.” Microsoft wants to “stitch together” home and work lifestyles.

In my earlier analysis of the Skype acquisition, ahead of the video conference, I identified five benefits to Microsoft:

1. Brand affinity and global reach

2. Extending Microsoft’s real-time communications investments

3. Video on Nokia handsets running Windows Phone

4. Keeping the PC relevant

5. 4G networks boosting video’s appeal

Steve Ballmer at Skype announcement

Ballmer’s and Bates’ emphasis on video advertising and bridging work and home lifestyles add two more to the list. But there is another, and this relates to Microsoft’s three-screen strategy: Television. Ballmer describes a situation where someone could participate in a family event from afar, on the TV connected to Xbox using Kinect. While not the same as being there, the video chat would be much more like it before a big-screen TV and motion-response from Kinect. “We’re already on 50 million TVs today,” Bates emphasizes. Kinect and Xbox would be a big next step.

I ended my earlier analysis with two unanswered questions. The first: whether or not Microsoft would continue to offer Skype on multiple platforms or not. “We’re committed to the Skype user base” — now and into the future. Ballmer emphasizes, stating there would be continued support for “non-Microsoft” platforms. Bates describes support for multiple platforms as “absolutely critical.”

The other question is about carrier conflict. Would carriers balk at Windows Phone and Skype together, offering free calls on their networks and choking bandwidth with video? Ballmer says he received calls from several carrier partners this morning, and they are “enthusiastic” about the acquisition. Oh yeah? Well, did they Skype?

Office 365 Beta Testers Run into Mobile, Mac Issues and Other Headaches

It’s been two days since the public release of Office 365 beta and Microsoft forums are lively to say the least. On the Office 365 community forum there are heaps of technical questions and complaints around some very specific problems that beta testers are encountering, as well as a smattering of compliments about the service.

 



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The majority of complaints—the threads with 10 or more posts; focus on issues with Sharepoint Online, Lync interoperability with Mac, and Exchange mobile syncing.

Microsoft beta testers seem to be having a hard time, especially with SharePoint Online. Several posters reported that their initial setup of Office 365 hangs during the SharePoint portion of setup:

“We are doing the standard setup of Office 365 and the SharePoint is hanging.”

“I am having the same issue, seeing ‘..this may take a few minutes’ on the sharepoint online site creation, now waiting for appox. 48 hours.”

“Two days later the sharepoint site has successfully been created. It just seems to take much more than a ‘few minutes’, but otherwise is fine now.”

Another big SharePoint issue, one that is generating multiple threat posts, is a problem with SharePoint sites:

“[The]SharePoint site doesn’t seem to exist. When I login, it either goes into a loop between windows live login and sharepoint.com…”

“None of the user accounts I created can access the sharepoint public or team sites.”

Some of the SharePoint access issues are actually problems with DNS records and not specifically with Office 365.

The majority of beta testers are technology professionals. Many of them have existing Exchange on-premise servers or are currently Business Productivity Online Suite (BPOS) customers. BPOS users have no choice but to adopt Office 365 since Microsoft is requiring them to transition within 12 months. One poster complained about a problem he encountered after migrating from BPOS, and that he can no longer send email from an external source to Office 365 after adding his company’s domain to the service.

There is an interesting post from a user experiencing problems setting up an Android phone with Exchange online. The user writes that he followed Microsoft’s instructions for configuring the device to sync with mail, calendar, and contacts. After doing so, he got only the cryptic error, “Failed to create the account, Please try again later.” The user noted that the same phone was previously able to sync with an on-premise Exchange 2007 server. A moderator on the forum, presumably from Microsoft, suggested the device be set to accept all SSL certificates and also suggested testing the validity of the connection to the online Exchange server. No response yet from the user if the suggestions worked.

Complaints are also being made about lack of support and the time it is taking to get an email invitation to test the service:

“This is IMO unacceptably slow service: ‘You will receive an email invitation from us as soon as your account is ready. We anticipate that the average wait for an account is approximately 2-4 weeks during the Beta period.'”

“I filed a support ticket…and got the answer to instead post my problem here in the forum.”

Questions abound about interoperability with Mac, particularly with Microsoft’s Lync client. A forum mod responded that while Lync 2010 is not supported on Mac, the Lync Web App—which can respond to Lync invites but not initiate them—can run on Safari and Firefox on Max OS 10.4.8+.

The comments are not all gloomy. One poster called Office 365 a “pretty great service” and another stated that “I’m pumped about being here and being part of the Beta, I also enjoy some of the challenges as I feel they keep your sharp.”

It’s important to note that Office 365 is still in beta and hopefully, Microsoft will have these issues worked out before final release. In the meantime, we have a request for comment out to Microsoft and will update this piece when they respond.

Facebook Fixes Spamming Glitch

Facebook has fixed a glitch that reversed selected email notifications for some users.

Typically, Facebook users can customize which emails or text notifications they receive, whether it’s for friend requests or new Facebook events. But on Tuesday, users began complaining that their selected email notifications had been reversed. For instance, those who had opted not to receive emails for events, were suddenly receiving emails about them, while those who’d checkmarked that box were not receiving emails at all.

 

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This prompted Facebook to post the problem on its “Known Issues on Facebook” page on Tuesday night: “Some people are suddenly receiving email notifications for settings they had turned off, and the checkboxes are now checked. We are currently working on a solution to this problem.”

By Wednesday afternoon, Facebook apologized and declared the problem resolved.

“Yesterday evening, we discovered a bug that caused a small number of people to start receiving notifications they had previously turned off. We have since resolved the issue and apologize for any inconvenience,” a spokesperson said.

Last Friday some Facebook users also reported seeing an error message when trying to access their “Notifications” menu, which Facebook said it resolved within 24 hours.

On Monday, U.K.-based security company Sophos published an open letter to Facebook on its blog, Naked Security, urging Facebook to improve its opt-in privacy schemes, vet app developers (where many phishing scams originate), and turn on a secure connection (HTTPS) standard.

How to Recycle Your Technology

The Best Places to Recycle Tech

e-Stewards
This program is run by the Basel Action Network (BAN), a non-profit dedicated to confronting environmental injustice caused by toxic chemicals worldwide. BAN helped expose the atrocious things happening in Asia and Africa caused by the so-called “recycling” of e-waste exported there. With help from some corporations and citizens, it created e-Stewards to address what it says the government doesn’t: “prevent the toxic materials in electronics from continuing to cause long term harm to human health and the environment.” BAN and its group of e-Stewards Recyclers even recently called on the United States to halt all export of e-waste generated by the federal government alone; BAN says the feds buy around 500,000 new computers a year, making it “the largest source of electronic waste in the world.” Washington should lead by example. By checking out the list of e-Stewards Recyclers on the site, you can be reassured that you are taking your digital detritus to someone you can absolutely trust to recycle it in the safest way possible.

 

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Best Buy
The nationwide electronics retailer has, arguably, the best recycling program going. Its Web site details what exactly it’ll take (small tube TVs, Bluetooth headsets, software, UPS battery backups, to name a few) and what it won’t (projection TVs, rooftop dish antennas, hard drives, old cassettes and 8-tracks, go figure.) Small items such as ink/toner, old cables, and batteries can go in recycling kiosks right by the door.

The list of items it’ll take is tremendously long, and even if it won’t take it in store, it might pick it up. That goes for several large kitchen appliances, plus old CRT televisions over 32-inches in size. Check the listing for your state, however, as what Best Buy accepts could differ depending on local laws.

What’s the catch? Not much. You can take in up to 3 items per day. It doesn’t matter if you bought it there or not. It’s mostly free: if you bring in a small tube TV or CRT monitor, they charge you $10 to take it… then turn right around and give you a $10 Best Buy gift card. Again, state rules can apply.

Even smarter: check Best Buy’s Trade-In calculator to see if what you think is junk could be used to offset buying some new toys.

Staples
Bring in as many as 10 ink/toner cartridges per month and you get $2 for each in Staple Rewards to spend. Staples will also take any other old office electronics, like computers, monitors, and printers, for $10 per large piece of equipment. If the electronics are smaller, such as input devices, phones or cameras, the recycling is free. For items with the Dell brand, all recycling is free. Staples does not take TVs or big copiers.

Staples also offers a service called EasyTech to move data from an old computer you want to get rid off to a new PC. Plus, it sells a line of Sustainable Earth products, such as remanufactured toner cartridges.

Office Depot
At Office Depot, you can buy what it calls a Tech Recycling Box. You can put as much electronic junk in one of these boxes as you want, as long as it will close. Then bring the box back to the store unsealed and drop it off for inspection. Office Depot will ship it off to waste management partners to do the rest. It promises to break the devices down to components of glass, plastic, copper and aluminum to reuse. The boxes come in different sizes and costs: small (8x15x18 inches) is $5, medium (20x16x16 inches) is $10, and large (24x18x18 inches) is $15. Check out its FAQ PDF of items it accepts and items doesn’t (which includes such obvious items as devices covered in or leaking liquid and anything radioactive).

Mobile phones, PDAs, batteries, and ink/toner cartridges can be dropped off for free with any sales associate, however. Or if you go to OfficeDepot.com, you can buy boxes—for the price of $0.00, including delivery to your home—to directly recycle laser toner and inkjet cartridges by mail.

E-Cycle
It’s no surprise that the company that was on site at MacWorld to take old iPhones when Verizon Wireless announced it would sell the current iPhone 4 is in the market to get your old iProducts. E-Cycle will buy iPhones and iPads from individuals or organization. Just go to its site, tell it what kind of device you have, and it’ll generate a quote. It’ll even take broken devices. You simply mail it in a pre-paid box E-Cycle provides, and then payment shows up in the mail. I got a quote of $145 for a working condition first generation iPad with Wi-Fi and 16GB memory; $315 for an iPhone 4 with 16GB, which is more than most people pay for them brand new (with a contract). E-Cycle will take other phones if you ask, but won’t pay you for them.

Call2Recycle is a non-profit program specifically for collecting and safely disposing of rechargeable batteries. Visit the site and enter your zip code and it will display any number of retailers that have a Call2Recycle drop off location. Partners include Lowes, Home Depot, RadioShack, Sears, and Best Buy, to name a few. This goes for not just your electronics, but all those rechargeable batteries on your tools and flashlights as well—none of them are doing us any favors in the landfill. Plus, it’s free. Precious metals are recovered from the dead batteries and turned into useful stuff. For example, the kitchen flatware you eat with may once have been powering your drill or phone.

How to Recycle Your Technology

We love our computers and electronics. That is, until they stop working. Then these computers and their peripherals, from printers to monitors, not to mention your handhelds, batteries, and accessories, often become digital garbage.

These things aren’t made to last after all. (No computer or phone maker is going to mind if you buy an upgrade every year or two.) Consequently, all of this junk ends up in the back of your closet or stored in your garage, collecting dust, because you aren’t sure what to do with the stuff. The best thing to do with this growing accumulation of old electronic equipment is to either donate or recycle it.

 



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Donate your old computers and phones whenever you can to groups that will fix and clean them up and then put them back to good use. Even the oldest computer, something you consider the most obsolete of digital dinosaurs, can probably be used by someone.

There are times, though, when a device is too far gone and there’s nothing else that can be done to bring it back to life again. Even a charity doesn’t want your unusable junk. That junk—called e-waste—is potentially dangerous. Electronics are filled with “heavy metals” (read: toxic metals) and carcinogenic chemicals that are fine when you’re using them, but not so much when sitting in a landfill or, worse, when people try to recycle them incorrectly. Thousands of tons of e-waste is shipped overseas yearly to countries like China and India where it gets dumped and maybe burned, which puts mercury and lead into the air.

So on this 41st Earth Day, we want to point out the places you can take your old or even dead electronics, so they can end up either being used by someone in need or safely recycled.

Google’s first quarter earnings miss projections as expenses spike; Page makes brief appearance

Google’s first quarter earnings fell short of Wall Street expectations as the company continued to invest heavily in data center infrastructure and headcount.

Google reported first quarter earnings of $2.8 billion, or $7.04 a share, on revenue excluding traffic acquisition costs of $6.54 billion (statement, preview). Non-GAAP earnings were $8.08 a share. Wall Street was expecting earnings of $8.10 a share on revenue of $6.32 billion.

 



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Google CEO Larry Page made a brief appearance on the company’s conference call. He said the reorganization has gone as planned and the team has “hit the ground running.” Page added that the quarter worked out well and he was excited about moves to “simplify our org.

“I’m very optimistic about our future,” said Page. Here’s what Page said in full:

It’s great to take just a few minutes with all of you. We’ve had a tremendous quarter, 27% year over year revenue growth in Q1. I’m really excited about that and I think it shows the strength of our business and our continuing — kind of continuing growth really in the tech industry. It’s really still at the beginning from a user perspective. There’s tremendous improvements to be had in our core products and our core business, and we are really excited about that. I also wanted to mention a little bit about the management team. Everything we told you last quarter has happened as we expected. It’s all working very well, exactly as we planned. I’ll just reiterate that quickly I am managing the day-to-day operations of Google as CEO, working very closely with my team, and I’m really excited about the progress we’ve had there. I think we really hit the ground running. Eric (Schmidt) of course is focused externally on the government partnerships, government relations, and partnership outreaches. Last quarter alone, he was in Germany, Brazil, Argentina and Spain. He’s been just doing tremendous things for the Company. Sergey, as we mentioned, is working very intensely on a few emerging projects for us. Like I said, this is all exactly as we planned, and I’m very, very excited about those changes. I’d also mention we made a number of changes to just simplify our org and improve our velocity and execution, basically simplify our reporting structures and such. Now I’m very excited about Google and our momentum, and I’m very, very optimistic about our future. I also just want to mention we have Jonathan Rosenberg, who’s usually done this call, is transitioning out of the Company as we have announced a while ago. I really wanted to thank him for all of his insights and hard work and all of the fine communication with all of you. And so we will clearly miss him, and we really want to thank him from the bottom of our hearts. So those are the main things I wanted to say. I’m tremendously excited about all of the things that lay before us as a company, and I also want us to say you’re in very good hands with the team here.

With Google it’s a tug-of-war between earnings today and investments for tomorrow. Indeed, Google beefed up a good bit and ended the first quarter with 26,316 employees compared to 24,400 at the end of the fourth quarter. That level of investment has investors worried about profit margins.

CFO Patrick Pichette kept Google’s common refrain going. “It’s clear that our past investments have been crucial to our success today–which is why we continue to invest for the long term,” he said. “We will continue to make capital investments.”

All units at Google are expected to show productivity as they invest, said Pichette. Pichette was making the case that Google closely watches expenses, but analysts were skeptical.

On the conference call, Pichette was upbeat about Google’s progress and cited Android, display ad progress and YouTube develop as a win-win platform.

Highlights from Google’s earnings call:

* 350,000 Android devices activated every day.
* Google is investing in marketing the Chrome browser. Why? It’s a locked in user and that lowers traffic acquisition costs. Google is tracking the lifetime value of a Chrome user and there are real returns there.
* Enterprise business continues to grow.
* Japan hurt international revenue.
* New hires are working on areas  “In fact, over half the [newglers] who joined this quarter are going to be working in high potential and revenue growth areas like YouTube, mobile, Chrome, commerce and local, and enterprise,” said Jeff Huber, senior vice president of commerce and local at Google.
* Social is a important as a search results signal.

By the numbers:

* Google’s owned and operated sites generated $5.88 billion in first quarter revenue, or 69 percent of total sales. AdSense delivered first quarter sales of $2.43 billion, or 28 percent of revenue.
* International revenue was 53 percent of the total sales pie in line with the year ago percentage.
* Paid clicks were up 18 percent in the first quarter compared to a year ago. Cost per click was up 8 percent.
* Data center expenses—or other cost of revenue—were $897 million, or 10 percent of sales.
* Google ended the quarter with $36.7 billion in cash and equivalents.

2011 Q1 Google Earnings Slides

View more presentations from Earnings

Oracle to patch 73 critical DB server flaws

The next batch of security patches from Oracle will be a biggie: 73 new security vulnerability fixes across hundreds of Oracle products.

According to an advance notice from the database server giant, some of the vulnerabilities affect multiple products and may be exploited over a network without the need for a username and password.

 

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The patches, scheduled for release next Tuesday (April 19, 2011), will affect the following products and components:

Security vulnerabilities addressed by this Critical Patch Update affect the following products:

* Oracle Database 11g Release 2, versions 11.2.0.1, 11.2.0.2
* Oracle Database 11g Release 1, version 11.1.0.7
* Oracle Database 10g Release 2, versions 10.2.0.3, 10.2.0.4, 10.2.0.5
* Oracle Database 10g Release 1, version 10.1.0.5
* Oracle Fusion Middleware 11g Release 1, versions 11.1.1.2.0, 11.1.1.3.0, 11.1.1.4.0
* Oracle Application Server 10g Release 3, version 10.1.3.5.0
* Oracle Application Server 10g Release 2, version 10.1.2.3.0
* Oracle Identity Management 10g, versions 10.1.4.0.1, 10.1.4.3
* Oracle JRockit, versions R27.6.8 and earlier (JDK/JRE 1.4.2, 5, 6), R28.1.1 and earlier (JDK/JRE 5, 6)
* Oracle Outside In Technology, versions 8.3.2.0, 8.3.5.0
* Oracle WebLogic Server, versions 8.1.6, 9.2.3, 9.2.4, 10.0.2, 11gR1 (10.3.2, 10.3.3, 10.3.4)
* Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12, versions 12.0.6, 12.1.1, 12.1.2, 12.1.3
* Oracle E-Business Suite Release 11i, version 11.5.10.2
* Oracle Agile Technology Platform, versions 9.3.0.2, 9.3.1
* Oracle PeopleSoft Enterprise CRM, version 8.9
* Oracle PeopleSoft Enterprise ELS, versions 9.0, 9.1
* Oracle PeopleSoft Enterprise HRMS, versions 9.0, 9.1
* Oracle PeopleSoft Enterprise Portal, versions 8.8, 8.9, 9.0, 9.1
* Oracle PeopleSoft Enterprise People Tools, versions 8.49, 8.50, 8.51
* Oracle JD Edwards OneWorld Tools, version 24.1.x
* Oracle JD Edwards EnterpriseOne Tools, version 8.98.x
* Oracle Siebel CRM Core, versions 7.8.2, 8.0.0, 8.1.1
* Oracle InForm, versions 4.5, 4.6, 5.0
* Oracle Sun Product Suite
* Oracle Open Office, version 3 and StarOffice/StarSuite, versions 7, 8

The highest CVSS 2.0 Base Score for vulnerabilities in this Critical Patch Update is 10.0 for Oracle JRockit of Oracle Fusion Middleware and Sun GlassFish Enterprise Server, Sun Java System Application Server of Oracle Sun Products Suite, the company said.

“Due to the threat posed by a successful attack, Oracle strongly recommends that customers apply Critical Patch Update fixes as soon as possible.”

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RIM BlackBerry PlayBook: The Unboxing

Next week, RIM’s first tablet, the BlackBerry PlayBook, will finally go on sale. Before we took the PlayBook to the labs for testing and itsfull review, we unboxed the tablet and played with it, taking photos all along the way, to give you a look at what you’ll get if you buy a PlayBook when it becomes available on April 19th.

 

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At launch, you can buy one of three versions of the tablet, all identical except for varying amounts of built-in storage. All current models are Wi-Fi-only, but 3G and 4G models are on the way. The 16BG model will sell for $499.99, the 32GB for $599.99 and the 64GB for $699.99—the same prices and capacities as the Wi-Fi-only Apple iPad 2.

Included with the PlayBook is a soft carrying pouch. And we also got our hands on optional rubber and leather cases from RIM. None of the cases have magnets or special interactions with the tablet, unlike the Apple iPad Smart Cover, which can wake up the iPad or put it to sleep by simply moving the cover on or off the tablet’s screen. The cases have cutouts for the Volume and Power buttons, and for the front- and back-facing webcams. Pricing has not yet been announced for either case.

The PlayBook runs a new operating system, optimized for tablets, called the BlackBerry Tablet OS. In the past few months, other competitors have redesigned their mobile operating systems to be optimized for tablets as well (like Google’s Android 3.0 and HP’s upcoming WebOS 3.0 for the HP TouchPad.)

Check out our full BlackBerry PlayBook review to see how the latest tablet stacks up against the competition. And hit the slideshow below for the unboxing photos.

The Week in Tweets: RIP Flip Camera

It’s hard to get a seasoned journalist to express shock and dismay, but on Tuesday, CNN’s Anderson Cooper got rather emotional over a certain piece of news.

“I can’t believe the Flip camera is being discontinued. I love my Flip,” he tweeted on Tuesday.

Meanwhile a more dramatic David Pogue of the New York Times tweeted, “WHAT THE HEY!?!?? Cisco is killing off the Flip camcorder! I know our phones take video, but—come on.”

 

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Product extinction happens frequently in the fast-paced world of technology, as sleeker, faster, more efficient devices cannibalize old ones. But nearly everyone was shocked on Tuesday when Cisco announced that it was ending its Flip line of cameras, a well-regarded product that Cisco acquired in 2009 for $590 million. Yesterday Pogue reported that Flip cameras represented 35 percent of the camcorder market, and was the bestselling camcorder on Amazon.

So why did Cisco kill the Flip? To focus on what it knows best: enterprise. After dabbling in the consumer electronics market with Flip, Cisco said it planned to restructure the company, refocus its home-networking business, and integrate its ūmi home telepresence product into its enterprise offerings. By the end of the year, Cisco will shed 550 Flip-related employees.

Flip founder Jonathan Kaplan told reporters he was sad Cisco decided to ditch the brand, and that he still believed people wanted a standalone, handheld camera in addition to a smartphone. On Friday, Sony and Kodak also said they weren’t worried about smartphones cannibalizing their lines of personal camcorders.

This Week in Tweets we captured all sorts of reactions to the news of Flip’s death. While many admitted to “two-timing” the Flip with their smartphone cameras and others saw it as a logical business decision, there was a widespread feeling that the Flip had died a premature death.

Meanwhile if you’re looking for a replacement, PC Mag has compiled Ten Top-Notch Flip Video Camera Alternatives.

Online Tax Prep Services

It’s that time of year again. Tax time. A few of your documents may still be straggling in, but chances are you’ve at least got your W-2s, and you’ve either got all the receipts you’re going to need for your deductions or you’re going to wing anyways. So why not get to work now? I suppose you could wait until Sunday to get started, but who needs all that last-minute pressure? It’s never been simpler to get started—you don’t even have to schlep down to the electronics store to buy a copy of the software anymore, or, worse, spend time haunting a depressing tax center waiting room. As long as you’ve got access to a browser, you can do your taxes without ever leaving home. Unless you’ve got a horribly complex return or have an issue with exposing your financials over the Internet, doing your taxes online is the simplest way to go about it. Accordingly, we’ve reviewed the best online tax packages for tax year 2010.



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All the major tax prep players have had Web-based versions for years, and all look and work like their desktop counterparts, letting you save partially finished returns and finish them in multiple sessions. It’s convenient, and the sites remember your data from year to year. Even if your local copy gets hosed, you’ve got a copy on the tax-prep site. And there’s a good chance much of your basic data will carry over from year to year, giving you a headstart on the process.

Once you’ve chosen a tax-prep package, you’ll need to decide which of the many versions of that company’s service to use—the free 1040EZ version (generally you still have to pay to e-file for your state taxes at least), or the high-end SMB version, or something in between. You’ll have to do a little research to make sure you get the right forms, for, say, your small business’ income. But don’t assume that you need the full-on ultimate premium premier version—with the exception of extra forms (and occasionally some higher-end help functionality) they’re pretty much the same as the freebies, in terms of function and interface and so on. Don’t overpay. If price is the determining factor for you, definitely check out TaxACT—even its high-end versions are dirt cheap.

I won’t tell you that any of these online tax services can make tax time enjoyable, but the best of them can at least make the process relatively quick and painless.

Note that the thumbnail descriptions below link to our full reviews of the major players in the tax-prep space. Click through to read the full reviews by tax expert Kathy Yakal.

CompleteTax OnlineCompleteTax Online

CompleteTax, a service of global financial services provider CCH, has some of the best guidance available on tax preparation sites. It also does a good job of exploring tax topics, and is offering free Premium versions to select populations for 2010.

H&R Block At Home PremiumH&R Block At Home Premium

H&R Block At Home Premium Online gives TurboTax a run for its money every year. Premium’s Best of Both option provides beginning-to-end support that no one else has ever offered, at a reasonable price.

TaxSlayer.com Premium EditionTaxSlayer.com Premium Edition

TaxSlayer.com’s parent company has been in the tax preparation business for over 40 years, and its online offering is a capable 1040-tamer. But the site could use some improvement in the areas of navigation and help.

TaxACT Online Ultimate BundleTaxACT Online Ultimate Bundle

TaxACT is the best buy available for the 2010 tax filing year. It supports all e-filable IRS forms, walks the user easily and quickly through the 1040, and offers unlimited professional help for only $7.95 extra.

TurboTax logoTurboTax Premier Online Edition
Editors
TurboTax remains king of the hill. Though it has stiff competition, its combination of financial topics, guidance, navigational tools, and interface excellence make it the best choice for 2010 taxes.