Zoli's Blog » Technology

Qu’est-ce QUE c’est? A Killer e-Book? A Kindle Killer?

Zoli Erdos — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 16:37:34 +0000

A picture is worth thousand words. So the next two images of the Que, Plastic Logic’s ultrathin, bendable e-reader should save 2,000 words… courtesy of MediaMemo:

I’ve said before, dedicated e-readers won’t go away anytime soon, and Plastic Logic’s product is the one to keep an eye for – simply because this is the first one that feels like holding a piece of paper. I want my Que. Now.

(Cross-posted @ CloudAve)

Skype is not Only VOIP: It Reigns in IM But How Long?

Zoli Erdos — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 16:31:40 +0000

Nowadays the only context we hear about Skype is the legal fight (care to bet how long it will take for the previous Net Celebs to become the Hated Greedy Ones who try to sc**w all of us?) – I would much rather read about new features, improvements.

After all, Skype is the single most popular voice and video calling application. But let’s not forget it’s also an IM system – in fact as this Infoworld article points out, it has become the reigning IM system.

And therein lies the rub: it is less and less suitable for text chat.

I’ve Got Productized by Nokia

Zoli Erdos — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 09:45:18 +0000

It’s not every day one sees his family name as headline on TechMeme. Well, if that name is Scoble or Arrington, sure, but for the rest of us it’s a red-letter-day…

Well, it just happened to me, courtesy of Nokia, and the shiny new Nokia Erdos luxury phone. Last I checked a few years ago, they could not keep up with demand for the $5K Vertu phones in platinum, gold and diamond casings. The Nokia Erdos will only have brushed aluminum casing, but it’s stuffed with hi-tech, like the OLED display, a rising keyboard, 5 megapixel auto-focus camera with Carl Zeiss optics, etc. Here’s a promo video:

(Why is this, and all other copies on Youtube so blurry?)

Anyway, back to Nokia. I’m a little pi***ed that they did not ask me … but in the end, it’s OK. I don’t get productized every day, after all. Just remember to send me a test unit, Nokia!

Come think of it… I think I Open Source my name. Apple, Dell, Sony, BMW, Mercedes..etc, I’m looking forward to your Erdos models. Just don’t forget to send a courtesy unit.

(Cross-posted @ CloudAve)

The New Lenovo: Nice Hardware, Dumb Support

Zoli Erdos — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 18:50:54 +0000

Lenovo, home of the (formerly IBM) Thinkpad’s is not exactly known as a price leader: those Thinkpads have a great reputation and a matching price-tag. But times are changing, and Lenovo is becoming budget-friendly: the recently announced Ideapad U series, the G550, and the all-in-one Ideacentre are all “cool” computers with an attractive price. For all my love of Netbooks I admit I got tempted to get my hands on a new Ideapad U350 – basically somewhere in between a superslim notebook and a netbook, for $599 – not a bad price.

And of course getting the free Windows 7 upgrade put me at ease that I won’t be stuck in Vista prison for long… but wait! How will I install the upgrade? Lenovo says:

Each upgrade kit will be mailed separately and contain:

Windows 7 Certificate of Authenticity

Windows 7 OS Upgrade DVD

Lenovo Drivers / Apps DVD¹

Instructions on how to upgrade the operating system

But there’s a small problem: this unit does not have an optical drive at all – which is all fine with me, in fact I’ve removed it from another, heavier laptop: all I need is a lightweight, portable productivity tool, won’t be watching DVD’s. Still, the prospect of installing DVD-based software without a DVD-drive is not that heart-warming, so I fired up this email inquiry to Lenovo (after some struggle to find an address):

To: websales@lenovo.com
Date: 07/18/09 10:04
Subject: Windows 7 upgrade for Ideapad U350
I’m considering a U350, but wonder how the upgrade to Win7 will take place since these units don’t have an optical drive. If the upgrade is done via download, does that mean Vista has to remain operational and I can’t get a a ‘clean’ Win7 install?
Thanks a lot,
Zoli

Today I received the following non-response:

Dear Zoli,
Thank you for contacting Lenovo, the makers of ThinkPad and ThinkCentre products.
I understand that you want to know if you can place an order for a U350 and want to know about the Windows 7 upgrade. You also want to know how to upgrade since these computers does not have an optical drive. I request you to please contact our Sales Department to get accurate information about the upgrade and to get help in placing an order,
If you have further questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us at 866-42-THINK (84465) option number 2. We will be happy to assist at that time.
Once again, thank you for contacting Lenovo.

What load of crap! Why should I call Sales Department? Doesn’t his email address read Websales? Customer Service 101: respond at the channel you were contacted at. And it’s not like I am asking for a very difficult, individualized answer: in fact my question is so obvious it should have been answered as part of the Win& FAQ @ Lenovo’s website.

Serious loss of credibility… what kind of support can I expect when I have real problems?

(Cross-posted from CloudAve)

Opera Unite Turns Your Computer into a Web Server. But Will You Want It?

Zoli Erdos — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 16:14:28 +0000

The little browser that could … was how the Opera browser was often referred to around 1996-98. The best browser packed with innovative features that Internet Explorer and Firefox were forced to copy: tabbed browsing, popup-blockers, saved sessions, zooming, mouse gestures to name a few. But it never really took off, continuing to hover around 2% market-share forever.

Today Opera proves again they are innovators: they claim to “reinvent the web” with the launch of Opera Unite.

Did the Gizmo-blogs Just Fall for an Old CrunchPad Prototype?

Zoli Erdos — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 21:12:24 +0000

Forget all the news coming from Iran, there’s real excitement on TechMeme: the unboxing of the CrunchPad prototype, posted on Youtube by Loic Le Meur:

I hate to say this.. but I think what we’re seeing here is Prototype C, the previous version, not the final, Launch prototype. Compare the photos and decide for yourself.

Given how I am waiting for the CrunchPad myself, I’d be happy to be proven wrong this time…

(Cross-posted from CloudAve)

Experimental Green Flight Across the Atlantic

Zoli Erdos — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 03:19:59 +0000

American Airlines is about to test eco-friendly new technology on it’s regular flight between Paris and Miami this Thursday.

CrunchPad – It’s Real. Beautiful. I Want One.

Zoli Erdos — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 00:47:49 +0000

I admit I was skeptical when Mike Arrington first announced he wanted to build a lightweight Web Tablet. But a few month later we saw the first prototype, which was not particularly attractive – but real. Mea Culpa, I was wrong.

The second prototype was already quite likable, albeit not as sexy as as the original sketch. Today Mike @ Techcrunch announced that the final prototype is just weeks away- and although all he now has are conceptual drawings, if the real thing is anywhere close .. OMG.. OMG.. it’s absolutely sexy

Intel & Microsoft Leans on the Netbook Market

Zoli Erdos — Tue, 26 May 2009 23:44:20 +0000

The proliferation of affordable netbooks is good for everyone – consumers, that is. Computer manufacturers loath it (high volume, low margin business) and so does Microsoft: they can’t exactly sell $100+ worth of software on a $200 machine. So they come up with all sorts of evil plans.

Who Says the iPHone is Not for Business When SAP Runs on It?

Zoli Erdos — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 16:33:03 +0000

Well, SAP Executives, for starters .. just ask Vinnie Mirchandani or Larry Dignan. SAP Execs and key customers were quite dismissive of the iPhone as a business communication platform. But like I’ve said before discussing Oracle’s SaaS offering, it’s not what they say … it’s where they put their money.

Granted, the SAP – Sybase partnership just being announced at these very moments (webcast) isn’t all about the iPhone: it’s about making the SAP Business Suite 7 available on iPhone, Windows Mobile and BlackBerry. Still, it’s nice to see they chose the “right phone” for the video. (hat tip: Jeff Nolan)

(Cross-posted from CloudAve. To stay abreast of news, analysis and just plain opinion on Cloud Computing, SaaS, Business grab the CloudAve Feed here.)