Philippine Call Centers Gain on India

The global markets for offshoring is changing with new competition to India such as Phillipines. During the past 5 years there has been a dramatic shift in the way we work and offshoring is also getting to be "business as usual" which also means that there will be competing places in the world that want to take on the strongest competitors..

"Philippine Call Centers Gain on India"
The Philippines and other smaller countries are gaining on what used to be the sole superpower in the global call-center business, India.


Asia: What's News

Windows 7 Restriction Is Dropped

I think this is a smart move from Microsoft not to restrict the new upcoming version of Windows 7 to have access for only 3 applications.

"Windows 7 Restriction Is Dropped"
Microsoft plans to drop a restriction in the low-end version of its new operating system following complaints.


What's News Technology

EU Plans Fresh Strike on Microsoft

I cannot believe what I had to read this morning. EU is considering to force Microsoft to put competitive browsers into the operating system install. I think competition is good, but now we are going too far. To me this is like forcing a car manufacturer to put multiple car stereo systems in the car so the consumer could have a choice. Give me a break please.... The market share of Internet Explorer has dropped according the article, so I can not understand why EU Commission is harrassing Microsoft.

"EU Plans Fresh Strike on Microsoft"

Europe Technology

Electronic Arts Makes Online Play

The sofware gaming industry is changing and even Electronic Arts (EA) is trying to find a business model that makes sense. I expect gaming to move to the Net with higher pace and EA is realizing this as well and will be releasing Tiger Woods for online gamers. The problem that the gaming industry will have is whether to give some of this for free... and this is a problem as the production of games could cost as much as 50 million.

"Electronic Arts Makes Online Play"
Electronic Arts is unveiling plans for an online Tiger Woods golf game -- one of its first such offerings in the U.S. based on a popular game for consoles -- that could be subscription based.

Dell Warns PC Market Hasn't Hit Bottom

If there is a shift is software business models, there is one definetely in hardware business as well. Dell is feeling the pinch and I wold expect this to be the case even going forward as Dell is relying heavily on commodity hardware while HP for example has a service business as well.

"Dell Warns PC Market Hasn't Hit Bottom"
Dell posted a 63% drop in quarterly profit, warning that the personal computer market has yet to hit bottom.

Zucker Talks About Challenges

This article shows how the business models are changing and how media companies see services such as Hulu. From research perspective, things could not be more interesting as things are changing rapidly.

"Zucker Talks About Challenges"
NBC Universal CEO Jeff Zucker, speaking at the D: All Things Digital conference, discussed the challenges of making up for lost TV revenues with digital business models.

Microsoft Unveils Bing Search Engine

The competition in the search market is going to be intensified, which is good for consumers and businesses. Google has too much power to control things and that cannot be good for anybody..... Lets's see how Bing will challenge Google

"Microsoft Unveils Bing Search Engine"
Microsoft's Ballmer unveiled a revamped Internet search engine, named Bing, as the software giant enters a new chapter in its rivalry with Google.

Yahoo CEO Open to Deal

Here we go again... The discussion of Yahoo and Microsoft... Personally I think that should not happen... and would just create issues for Microsoft.

"Yahoo CEO Open to Deal"
Yahoo's Carol Bartz said she would be open to striking a search deal with Microsoft if the software giant offered "boatloads of money."

Social Networking Sites Extend Reach

Mobility and social networking needs to work well together and here are some examples of mobile handset manufacturers and providers working on plans to increase the visibility and usability in the mobile space.

"Social Networking Sites Extend Reach"
Facebook and MySpace are among the most popular services on high-end cellphones. Now, handset makers and wireless carriers are ramping up efforts to tap the mass market.

Ozzie Lays Out Microsoft's Vision at J.P. Morgan Event

Ray Ozzie from Microsoft talks about his view of cloud computing, Azure and many other things in this article.




I wanted to share this story with you: http://digg.com/d1sHpL?e
 ---
"Ozzie Lays Out Microsoft's Vision at J.P. Morgan Event"
Ozzies view of the cloud

GE Says 'Green' Revenue Grew 21%

Companies and people are realizing that we need to conserve our resources. GE is helping out in these efforts as well. Green Snapper http://www.greensnapper.net has the same aim and I am very happy to be part of it!

WSJ.com Mobile Reader user Petri.Salonen@tellusinternational.com wanted you to see this:

"GE Says 'Green' Revenue Grew 21%"

GE said it last year sold $17 billion worth of products and services that help customers conserve energy and reduce greenhouse-gas emissions, a 21% increase.

What's News Technology

Reading this on your Blackberry? Try the WSJ.com Mobile Reader now by clicking http://wsjmobilereader.com.

Twitter Trips on Its Rapid Growth

Will Twitter stay relevant going forward? There has been lot's of speculation that Twitter has to find a good business model or it will perish. Based on the news, most of the people starting on Twitter will stop using it after a while. This is obviously a challenge and Twitter has to deal with it.

WSJ.com Mobile Reader user Petri.Salonen@tellusinternational.com wanted you to see this:

"Twitter Trips on Its Rapid Growth"

Twitter is confronting a slew of challenges -- from hiring, to keeping its service up and running, to finding meaningful revenue -- as it deals with sudden stratospheric growth.

What's News Technology

Reading this on your Blackberry? Try the WSJ.com Mobile Reader now by clicking http://wsjmobilereader.com.

High-Tech Start-Ups Put Down Roots in New Soil

Silicon Valley isn't the onlky place anymore for tech startups. When the venture startup money has dried up from these areas, Michigan and Ohio are offering state grants and other reliefs to startups. Texas did not have any when I started Tellus International in Dallas....

WSJ.com Mobile Reader user Petri.Salonen@tellusinternational.com wanted you to see this:

"High-Tech Start-Ups Put Down Roots in New Soil"

High-tech start-ups are increasingly setting up shop in places previously not known for attracting high-tech firms, including Kalamazoo, Mich., and Toledo, Ohio.

What's News Technology

Reading this on your Blackberry? Try the WSJ.com Mobile Reader now by clicking http://wsjmobilereader.com.

Taiwan Firm to Sell Google Phone in China

New strategic moves from handset makers for emerging markets such as China and Latin Americas.

WSJ.com Mobile Reader user Petri.Salonen@tellusinternational.com wanted you to see this:

"Taiwan Firm to Sell Google Phone in China"

Telecommunications

Reading this on your Blackberry? Try the WSJ.com Mobile Reader now by clicking http://wsjmobilereader.com.

Taciturn Armstrong sparks Twitter media boycott: Armstrong shows how powerful social media can be

FLORENCE, Italy (AFP) - Lance Armstrong's refusal to speak directly to the press at the Tour of Italy has sparked a boycott by some sections of the Italian and anglophone media of the American's online messages.I love this example of how old media and new social media crashes and I have to say that this is exactly why the old media is suffering... they need to realize that things have changed and they are only making their case worse by doing what they are doing. GO ARMSTRONG!!!!!!

read more | digg story

Russian Firm Eyes Facebook Deal

It is going to be very interesting to see what Facebook does with this one.... 200 million is 200 million and with a valuation of 10 billion... it is probably hard to resist...

"Russian Firm Eyes Facebook Deal"

A Russian investment group has offered to invest $200 million in Facebook at a $10 billion valuation for its preferred stock. It's unclear whether Facebook has accepted the offer.

Chris Capposella's annoucement of SharePoint Server 2010 release

Check out how Chris Capposela, Senior VP for Microsoft's Information Worker Management Group discusses of the upcoming release of SharePoint Server 2010

Salesforce Net Jumps on Higher Revenue

It looks like SaaS-based solutions with good cost control will do well even in a down economy based on the results from Salesforce.com. SaaS is here to stay and the trend will continue.

"Salesforce Net Jumps on Higher Revenue"

Salesforce.com's profit nearly doubled as the provider of Web-based business applications signed up new customers and kept costs in check.

Alcatel Gets Into Mobile Ads

It is evident that mobile ads will increase in the future as media is struggling to make money... Yesterday I read in a local Finnish newspaper Helsingin Sanomat that News Corp will pretty soon close its free newspapers in the net and force people to pay for it. Free stuff just does not work.... like there is a misconseption that Open Source is free.... my father has always told me that there is nothing such as free.... and i believe him.

"Alcatel Gets Into Mobile Ads"

Alcatel-Lucent is entering the market for mobile advertising with a service that will let cellphone carriers offer their customers tailored alerts.

Groove To Get a Name Change: Microsoft positions Groove in Office 2010 environment

Microsoft Office Groove 2007 will get a name change next year that's more in tune with the SharePoint side of things. The public and the users have been waiting to hear from Microsoft of Groove strategy.. and now it is in the open.... As for the Groove-SharePoint product relationship, a Microsoft blog described it in this way: "Groove is to SharePoint [as] what Outlook is to Exchange."To be able to run Groove, one does not have to deploy Groove Server if there is not a need for a centralized management of the environment. According to the Redmondmag.com article "Groove is a collaboration and document-sharing client application, with optional server support, that is designed for small teams of two to 30 people"

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Where CRM and CMS 2.0 Collide: how to see these two technologies

Interesting article how CRM and CMS 2.0 relate to each other.
destinationCRM.com: Where CRM and CMS 2.0 Collide

Handset Sales Drop, Though Smart Phones Sell Well

This report from Wsj.com explains the status of the mobility market. It is soft, but smart phones seem to be pretty strong.

"Handset Sales Drop, Though Smart Phones Sell Well"

Sales of smart phones rose in the first quarter, but overall handset sales fell at a record pace amid the economic downturn, research firm Gartner said.

What's News Technology

How TOP Biz Executives USE Facebook and Twitter Effectively

This is great coverage on Social Media Marketing and ITs practical use today by some of the TOP CEOs in the country. I gleened a lot of insight into actually making money with these services. Practical uses for Twitter and Facebook to increase revenue and also BRAND your business better. Look through the CEOs and their stories and the specifics. I work with companies to enhance their use of social media... from a business perspective ... My interest is in the sofware business markets and I see that social media is really picking up also in traditional companies... This is a good article to check out...

read more | digg story

A Way to Be Less Social

Social networking is here to stay, but if you want to get rid of one, here is what needs to be done.

"A Way to Be Less Social"

Signing up for a social-networking site is straightforward, but removing yourself from one can be less obvious. Here's how to delete your information from cyberspace.

Palm's Pre Set for June Release

I really think it is too late for Palm in the phone game... they are a good example of a company that ruled small pocket devices and lost the game

"Palm's Pre Set for June Release"

Sprint Nextel said the Palm Pre smart phone, seen as a competitor to Apple's iPhone, will be available starting June 6 for $199.

US: Business News

H-P Net Falls 17% on Weak Sales

This was expected news from HP and Dell will be releasing its later this week....

"H-P Net Falls 17% on Weak Sales"

Hewlett-Packar posted a 17% decline in quarterly profit as sales fell across its businesses, including sharp drops in sales of PCs and printers.

US: Business News

Twitter to launch business tools by year-end

Micro-blogging site Twitter plans to introduce tools and services by year-end to help businesses serve their customers, and may charge fees for such services. Twitter has figured out that it also needs to make money... and something is in the workings for businesses.... Let's see what it is....

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Rumours of a new swivel Nokia phone in the net

I read in today's Finnish digitoday.fi  web bulletin  news-site that multiple mobility sites discuss of a new Nokia phone model that is supposed to be sold by Verizon. Based on 'The Boy Genious report", Verizon would start selling it in July-August time frame.

Cloud Computing: Pros and Cons - CIO.com - Business Technology

Five reasons to embrace an external cloud; five reasons to stay away. This article highlights the pros and cons of going into cloud computing solutions.

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destinationCRM.com: InsideView;s Vision Of Social Sales

The vendor's new SalesView Buzz tab aggregates social networking information and integrates the data directly into CRM systems, providing richer context around sales leads. The problem? A significant amount of data on the social Web is simply wrong. This article shows the complexities of different social media sources and what they could potentially be..... Nice read, even if it is a vendor push.

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Ballmer: IT has Opportunities From Economic Recovery

Growth will have to come from higher productivity and innovation when the economy begins to recover, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer told developers gathered Wednesday in Hyderabad for the company's India edition of the Tech Ed conference. There has been speculation about Microsoft's intentions after raising 4 Billion in cash... this article gives a good view where Microsoft is going to invest.

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Twitter Tips: Three Ways To Deal With Twitter Spam

You can take proactive steps to prevent Twitter spam such as unwanted direct messages promoting products and services. Here are three quick tips for keeping Twitter relevant and keeping spammers and mass-followers out. This is a good article to read to keep the spammers away.

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Jeff Jarvis on Tapping Social Media from BusinessWeek

Interesting video of an interview of Jeff Jarvis and author of What Would Google Do? about Social Media and how it should be seen. Check it out

The agony of an author and the joy of having a clear picture in one's head

I am sitting in Helsinki, Finland and writing on my second book (first one was released in December 2007) and I have been contemplating on this book for quite a while and during the long first of May weekend here in Helsinki, everything became so clear to me. I know exactly the why's, to whom, and the rest and now I am just getting everything written.... The agony of a writer and the joy of getting things cleared in one's mind are mysterious....