September 2008 Archives

Service provider Sprint is rolling the dice on WiMAX, a new wireless technology that has received much hype but little practical application in the U.S. telecom market. The company has launched a 4G WiMAX network in Baltimore.

Hardare vendor Dell, which has been building market share through its new channel program, sees growth ahead in Europe and developing countries despite the current economic challenges. CEO Michael Dell told a press conference that his company will grow sales faster than the rest of the industry in Europe and overseas.

Here's some interesting news that ought to get the open-source community jazzed: New data from research firm Computer Economics shows the vast majority of businesses that implement open-source applications are able to demonstrate a positive return on their investment within two years.

Does the channel, the tech industry and the world-at-large really need another smart, wireless device? We'll find out soon enough since Tuesday is the day T-Mobile USA is set to release details of the first phone to use Google's software platform, Android.

Despite the seemingly non-stop financial turmoil this week, the Internet Telephony Conference and Expo took place in Los Angeles, underscoring the fact despite the economic uncertainty, the business of the channel keeps moving right along.

Two channel powerhouses, distributor Ingram Micro and vendor Dell, are warning that global customer demand is weakening, suddenly darketing the IT spending landscape. Coupled with HP's decision to lay off 24,000 workers as part of the integation of systems integrator EDS, the news has brought a cloud of economic uncertainty to the channel.

With the fourth quarter approaching,it must be time for channel shake-ups. Networking vendor Novell has appointed a new channel chief, while security vendor Trend Micro bids farewell to its own channel executive. Soon you may not be able to tell the channel players without a scorecard.

Computer Sciences Corp. (CSC) has now become the latest technology services integrator to launch a global branding campaign. According to Reuters News Service, CSC is planning to spend tens of millions of dollars to boost its visibility around the world.

Has the industry reached the era of all computing all the time? Hewlett Packard certainly believes so. The vendor has announced that it has achieved 24-hour battery life with an HP EliteBook 6930p powered with an ultracapacity battery. 

Dell has become the latest channel vendor to enter the increasingly competitive netbook (or mini-noterbook)market. The company's new Inspiron Mini 9 sells on the company's Web site for around $400 and might eventully be headed for reseller outlets.

Google has introduced a new web browser, dubbed Chrome, which the company says is better able to handle the richer, more interactive applications that are becoming more commonplace. Interesting, but is this really necessary? The company is developing such clout that the industry and the channel ignore it at their peril.