Netscape provides an excellent illustration as to how tech darlings come and go.Netscape created and sold Navigator, the browser that essentially invented the World Wide Web. Prior to Netscape, the internet was mostly benefiting geeks and nerds. Netscape changed the world by transforming the internet into the mass-market, browser-powered online world we know and love today.Netscape’s original business model was to sell licenses for its Navigator browser. It was just over a year old when it had its IPO on Aug. 9, 1995. And in its first day of trading, the stock went from $28 to as high as $74.75, giving the company a value in the billions.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Avaya is one of the largest providers of enterprise communications products and services. It is a complex company of 158 separate entities that employ about 9,700 people worldwide. Most of its entities in North America, representing about 3,800 of its employees, filed for Chapter 11 reorganization earlier this year.Avaya reported 2016 revenue at $3.7 billion. Despite an annual adjusted EBITDA of $940 million and positive free cash flow, it has a debt problem. It owes about $6 billion due to multiple investors spread over multiple maturity dates over the next several years.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
People lie all the time. At least I think so. It’s hard to know for sure. It can be really hard to tell if someone is lying, as few of us have Larry David’s ability to see truth by looking deeply into someone’s eyes. If only there were a machine or something that could tell us if someone is lying.Whoever dubbed the polygraph a lie detector was a liar. A polygraph when paired with questioning techniques is supposed to ascertain truths and falsehoods. Unfortunately, polygraphs lie. On the unsuspecting they can be slightly more effective than guessing, but they can be easily fooled so can’t be trusted.+ Also on Network World: Cops use pacemaker data to charge homeowner with arson, insurance fraud +
Instead of relying on one device to measure a statement, the truth is increasingly found by using lots of devices that can corroborate or contradict one’s story. In other words, there’s no need to catch someone with their hand in the cookie jar if the cookie jar has biometric sensors.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
In 2009, Google introduced Gmail Autopilot.
“As more and more everyday communications take place over email, lots of people have complained about how hard it is to read and respond to every message. This is because they actually read and respond to all their messages.”
Autopilot replied to email as if it were actually you. It included an authenticity control panel to adjust for "tone, typo propensity, and preferred punctuation."Autopilot was launched as an April Fools' prank. It was one of several programs tied to Google CADIE (cognitive autoheuristic distributed intelligence entity). Google provided several examples that demonstrated how helpful autopilot could be, including this one:To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
It all started with Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). Prior to VoIP, the PBX was totally independent with its own server connected to proprietary endpoints (telephones) over a proprietary network. VoIP enabled telephony to co-mingle with other servers, networks and endpoints.Telephony grabbed hold of the concept of unified communications (UC) and made “PBX” a legacy term. A single UC client could support voice, voicemail and instant messaging (IM). UC APIs offered communications capabilities to other applications.+ Also on Network World: Office, Outlook, Slack, Handoff: The digital workplace reborn +
While the UC industry has done a great deal with multi-modal communications, it has not been successful at unifying communications. In many ways, we are more connected and converse more than ever before, but most of these conversations occur outside of the UC suite.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
On Jan. 24, I attended a Cisco Spark event in San Francisco. The day started with a keynote by Rowan Trollope, senior vice president and general manager of Cisco Collaboration. He also ended the day at event receptions. However, my afternoon meeting with Rowan was abruptly canceled with little explanation.As it happens, Rowan had to skip out during his own event to spend $3.7 billion to acquire AppDynamics. Although the news broke before the day’s end, nothing was mentioned at the Cisco Spark event, which was laser-focused on its new Spark Board.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
IoT—Internet of Things: Talk about a broad term. It’s like air—it’s everywhere, and everyone knows it’s important, but there’s no consistent way to discuss it.Bill Cosby, back when he was associated with comedy, poked fun at the different perspectives of air. He said philosophy majors ponder why air exists, but physical education majors know that air exists to fill volleyballs, basketballs and footballs.Clearly, it’s a matter of perspective, so let me attempt to organize the IoT opportunity into three containers: consumer, government and enterprise.+ Also on Network World: IoT is the ‘new industrial revolution,’ says Vodafone +
The consumer stuff is going to be big, but dull. Yes, there will be some big developments in products such as thermostats and toothbrushes. I may even buy a few. But that’s not what excites me about IoT. The consumer sector will be limited for two reasons.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
The funny thing about pendulums is that they love to swing. There are plenty of examples, from politics to nutrition, but computing cycles just might illustrate it best.The mainframe computer was a centralized model, with access through dumb terminals. PCs enabled distributed client/server computing. Now we are swinging back to centralized computing, with dumb smartphones connecting back to robust cloud-services. Enterprises are shuttering their data centers and moving to cloud services.Most of yesterday’s applications, such as CRM, ERP and UC, are moving toward the cloud. But the swing back to a distributed model is inevitable. If not for those applications, then something else. The Internet of Things (IoT) just may be the killer app that does it.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Internet access has gone through several generations that started with dial-up modems. I still remember my “blazing fast” upgrade from 24 kbps to 56 kbps.Dial-up modems gave way to always-on broadband solutions. Initially there were two choices: Cable (DOCSIS) and telephone (DSL). Wireless (LTE) has emerged over the past few years as a viable option for connectivity beyond smartphones.Many investors think the next generation will be wireless connectivity. It’s unfortunate that “Skynet” is associated with the villainous, fictional neural machines from the Terminator movies because each of these solutions will deliver the internet from the sky. After all, the sky is where the clouds are.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Creating a self-driving car should not be difficult, but it’s taking a while. Autonomous vehicles have been making headlines for years now, yet few of us have ever been in one or even seen one. We know that flying planes is more difficult than driving cars, yet pilots have enjoyed autopilot for decades. What gives?The answer is clear, or more precisely, clear vision. Pilots have used autopilot for decades in clear, open skies. Roads are more complex.The actual mechanics of operating a vehicle (accelerating, braking, steering, etc.) are all well understood and programmable. Most of the rules and logic of driving are programmable, too. But understanding and instructing vision is very complex. The good news is that incredible progress is being made, and the technology will have far-reaching implications.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Dave Michels